The Invincible Full-Moon System Chapter 1804: Responsibility

Rex glanced upward at the woman, one eye squeezed shut.

He gasped for air, realizing the liquid that had roused him wasn't ordinary water at all.

"Where am I?" He forced out the words once he regained some breath.

"In a hidden prison cell beneath the royal palace, the Asphodel Oubliette," Great Elder Rosa tossed the bucket away. She settled into a wooden seat opposite him, her expression impassive. "Crafted by the emperor for the cruelest and most dangerous offenders."

Rex gave a feeble nod.

It didn't shock him to end up in such a spot.

The stone enclosure pressed in around him.

He stood restrained on a slim ledge, swathed from head to foot in faded, stained fabric like an ancient mummy. Silver threads were woven into the cloth. Whether this silver differed from that in the Mortal Realm remained unclear, but it spun his head while adding to his frailty.

Beneath him yawned a shadowy chasm.

Rex couldn't peer downward to see its contents, yet he sensed the void where no ground existed.

Heavy chains dug into the thick hexagonal steel collar encircling his neck, stretched tight in four directions, each link weighing like a peak. They didn't just hold him back; they tethered his very being to this location.

Silver rods, hollow and piercing, stabbed through the wrappings with brutality.

They fixed his flesh to the fabric, and the fabric to immobility.

A unique fluid coated these rods. Wolfscourge. This rare material quelled werewolf abilities, potent enough to impact even royal lineage. Glowing runes scarred the bindings' surface. Additional measures to suppress, without doubt.

His fingers stirred slightly under the restraints, probing for any weakness, but found nothing.

Overhead, the ceiling lay beyond his view.

A twisting staircase ascended into the darkness above, serving as the sole entrance and exit to this depths.

Guards likely lurked just past that darkness as well.

Though Rex's perceptions were muted, his intuition detected numerous watchers keeping tabs on him.

"Escape is beyond you," Rosa remarked, noticing Rex's examination of his surroundings. "It's utterly futile. Every restraint draws from the holy knowledge our Spirits collected by sneaking into the Spirit Realm. Designed specifically to contain werewolves. You're powerless here."

"I've lost count of how often I've heard that," Rex replied, his tone raspy like dried foliage in fall. Proof of the endless days without liquid since his seizure. His gaze, keen with urgent intent, locked onto Rosa once more. "What's happening out there? Have they located the empress? Who's supporting this move?"

"Any resistance forming? How about Amanir?" He halted, straining ahead as the chains rattled lightly. "And... April?"

The final name caused Rosa's features to flinch.

Rex caught the flinch, stirring unease within him.

"Tomorrow brings a grand assembly for all the nobles," Rosa reclined in her chair. Her words came soft yet conclusive. "Hosted personally by the emperor... and the empress," She lingered to observe Rex's reaction. "Your execution will follow, displayed before the nobles, alongside Amanir and April."

Deg—!

His pulse thundered fiercely within his chest.

Rosa caught the gusts wailing through the chamber, the thick chains grinding together.

She creased her brow.

It stemmed from Rex's inner force.

Even with all the toxins ravaging him, this surge took her off guard.

Yet the restraints endured without falter.

"Duke Lorcan has aligned with the emperor too. Seems he struck a bargain for his fading house to gain more aid from the crown." Rosa gazed at her lap, where her fists balled tightly. "And they're forcing me to decide now."

Rex fixed Rosa with a piercing stare.

April had been dragged into his mess, exposing the pact he'd made with Rosa.

Now she faced an impossible bind. Loyalty to the empire or to her own child.

Given the abundance of Aurelius heirs, Rex marveled at her deep concern for April. Still, her attachment proved fortunate.

The System's denial of the Invincible II item had stunned him.

Reflecting on it now, the reason stood evident.

As a Scion, he drew attention from others like Ignatius. Activating Invincible II would summon their meddling. The System stayed flexible, but it intervened if Rex drew foes he couldn't possibly defeat.

If even a sliver of victory chance existed, the System held back.

Zero odds, however, demanded its action.

That core System principle shone during his flight from the Lunirich Gods.

"What's your next move?" Rex queried, arching an eyebrow. "That's your daughter."

A purpose surely explained Great Elder Rosa's presence before him.

"Aid me in breaking free, and I swear I'll shield April and your whole kin," Rex pressed on, his gaze burning with scarcely restrained fury. "I'll let nothing halt me. Not the Spirit Emperor himself, I vow."

Rosa rose and drew near. Her countenance shadowed.

But as she entered reach, her palm cracked across his cheek with force.

The sharp smack of skin on skin resounded through the chamber.

"Swear to safeguard April—and my kin?" She demanded in a controlled tone. She yearned to shout, yet restrained herself. Her eyes blazed red with rage and torment. "What became of your vow to keep distance from her? You couldn't uphold that, yet you seek my faith once more?"

"Do you see me as an idiot?" She met Rex's stare with fierce intensity.

Her hand lifted anew for another strike.

Rex held still, inviting the blow. He had it coming.

He held no grudge against Rosa's outburst, given all her past support.

But the strike didn't land.

"I aided you expecting your departure," Her eyes tightened. Regret flickered for ever assisting Rex. "I urged you to stay clear of my family. And now... see our state."

Rosa swept her arms toward the chamber's expanse, "Witness how we've fallen!"

"You could've risen above this," She buried her face in her palms. Her noble poise vanished. Her calm resolve evaporated. "Even if that innocent girl threw herself at you, you should've refused. Now... they're demanding I end her life myself."

At this revelation, Rex's eyes flared wide.

Requiring her to slay her own child crossed every line.

Yet that's the ruthless way of the mighty.

Weakness invites harsh reprisal.

Rex's head sagged against the steel collar, thoughts racing from the fresh details.

In his thoughts rang April's shy plea.

'But take responsibility.'

Rex's mouth twisted into a bitter smirk—finally grasping that April's exit from his life came far too late. She'd brushed his shadows, and those shadows now enveloped her. Urging her away wouldn't rescue her.

It would doom her.

Like Rosie. He'd doomed her by shoving her out after she'd entered his realm.

This time... it would unfold otherwise.

Unyielding resolve and venom that could engulf all surged in his eyes.

"I shouldn't have visited," Rosa brushed away a tear from her face—and pivoted to depart. "I sought only to unleash my frustration, but that's foolish. Our agreement concludes here, Rex."

Merely steps from him, Rex's words halted her abruptly.

'I erred. I see that now.' He conveyed, urging her to face him again.

She regarded him, noting the shift in his gaze.

'I'll shoulder the burden. The duty to rescue April from the empire's grasp.' Rex went on. Rosa's brow furrowed as she grasped Rex spoke not aloud. Telepathy, impossible in his state.

His mouth stayed shut, yet his words boomed in her thoughts.

'How...?' Rosa's scowl intensified. 'His abilities are fully quelled. How's this possible?'

'But should you proceed...’ Rex's voice yanked her from reverie. ’If you yield to their orders and slay April,’ His features warped darkly, eyes blazing like searing magma. ’You and your house will sink with the empire. Mark my words. Grant me another opportunity. Let me set it straight.'

Rosa whirled completely.

Her choice had formed moments prior, yet doubt crept back in.

Rationally, Rex's plea held no weight.

Emperor Dominar dwarfed Rex in might. Worlds apart. A colossal dragon versus a mere insect. Thus, reason dictated allegiance to the throne, the probable victor. But her gut rebelled, drawing her to the captive before her.

Rex lay drained. Bound. Defenseless. Yet it seemed reversed.

As if allying with the empress didn't cage Rex in this dungeon.

The empire occupied the true prison.

Rosa teetered on the edge once more.

Deep in her core, she sensed her verdict would seal her family's destiny.

'I wish to trust you, yet I'm unsure if faith in you is wise,’ Rosa thought silently.

Convincing proof eluded her.

Words from Rex alone failed to sway her.

'The simplest proof is the Divine Saintess forsaking the empire for my side,’ Rex responded, shifting Rosa's look instantly. A promising beginning. ’But I refuse to leverage her for your support, as I won't call on her aid. I'll give my all, and I need your belief in me.'

Rosa's brows lowered anew.

Despite the holy bond tying the emperor and Divine Saintess—an unyielding vow barring her opposition to the empire—her involvement would swiftly deter nobles from challenging Rex.

Forgoing such leverage smacked of folly and arrogance.

Still, Rosa listened further.

'Curious about my strategy? Truthfully, capture was my goal from the outset, one way or another. It arrived swifter than planned, but I'm precisely where I aimed.’ A sinister, shadowy laugh slipped from Rex's lips.

'How will you break out of this cell?’ Rosa questioned skeptically. ’It's hopeless.’

Rex tilted his head upward, inhaling the moist air as if it soothed him.

His eyes gleamed with a crimson glow, fiercer than usual.

'Your realm studies werewolf vulnerabilities broadly. And it's spot on. But when did your kind last verify—recently?’ Rex flashed a faint smile. ’Do you believe werewolves haven't evolved over time? And even if they haven't, am I just any werewolf?’

Rosa's throat tightened.

Thanks to the Black Rift, Spirits had evolved swiftly.

What prevented werewolves or other supernaturals in the Mortal Realm from advancing similarly?

With the Black Rift's relentless assaults, no chance arose to scout the Mortal Realm anew.

If the Mortal Realm embodied brutal survival of the strongest, how mighty had its dwellers grown? Though the Mortal Realm's energy waned, weakening them against the Spirit Realm, their adaptations persisted.

Matched in energy, Mortal Realm entities might surpass them vastly.

'Once, I was feeble in the Mortal Realm,’ Rex pressed, his tone sinking to a rough whisper. ’In scarcely a year, I rose to the pinnacle. I entered here as a simple High Spirit, now an Eternal Spirit. Tranquility eluded me always. Mighty foes craved my demise. Monarchs, rulers... deities themselves. Yet,’ He allowed the pause to build, heavy with tension. ’I stand here still.’

'Choose wisely, Rosa. I'll demonstrate precisely why so many below dread the name Rex Silverstar.’