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Chapter 152

The pressure on Eryke the Fifth suddenly lifted, and he heaved a sigh of relief in his heart.
His gaze dropped.
His vision was extremely blurry.
Almost all of his strength had left his body.
He slumped to the ground, utterly exhausted.
While Adapt had granted him the Telekinetic skill, it came at the cost of injuring himself from the backlash.
If not for the regeneration skill from the main body, he would have already died from the sheer extent of the injuries.
As he lay slumped on the ground, on the verge of losing consciousness, his vision began to clear, and his awareness slowly returned.
With his active, his skill also triggered, gradually nullifying and healing his injuries.
At the same time, he could feel his body being strengthened at a rapid pace—so rapid, it stunned him to the core.
‘Can my skill also strengthen my body?’
The thought excited him deeply.
Until now, the only bodily enhancement he had experienced came from the skill Drayken possessed.
However, that skill was still at a low level and didn’t allow him to fight high-level opponents directly.
While it wasn’t entirely useless, it had only been helpful in the early stages and had quickly faded into the background.
But now, he has discovered a new way to strengthen his body.
It was something the humans of this world clearly lacked.
When Eryke the Fifth had strangled Valkyrie, her body had proven surprisingly weak. Even with his low-level skill, he was simply stronger than her.
“Let’s take him back to the base,” said the second Valkyrie—the one who had stopped Elsie.
Eryke the Fifth was lifted into the air once more. This time, he didn’t resist. He remained still, quietly suspended in place.
It is said that every disaster carries a hidden blessing, and every blessing hides a potential disaster.
Now, he had experienced this truth for himself, more deeply than ever before.
This disaster… was a blessing in disguise.
And the best part?
He could escape whenever he wanted.
There was no resistance—no one could stop him. After all, he could always return to the main body at any time.
But there was still one concern.
He remembered that when Drayken had been captured, he hadn’t been able to recall him. Later, when Drayken asked about it, the response was simple: he had been sealed inside a capsule that emitted electromagnetic waves.
That interference had completely blocked the recall function of the clone.
It was, frankly, troublesome.
However, based on how the Valkyries spoke, it didn’t seem like they planned to execute him on the spot, so for now, he didn’t need to worry.
Anyway, Eryke the Fifth floated up into the sky as the Valkyrie ascended, shooting through the air in an instant.
After they vanished into the distance, the people who had been hiding cautiously emerged. Their eyes swept over the battlefield, cracked ground, scorched earth, and dust still rising into the air.
“Who was that guy?”
“Is he some kind of criminal?”
“Maybe. He might be a gang leader or something. He even dared to trample on the Empire’s name…”
Some people muttered among themselves, heatedly discussing the incident until they eventually grew tired and dispersed, returning to their own affairs.
The Valkyries were like the empire’s police, but on an entirely different level. They held a place of reverence in the hearts of nearly everyone.
The fact that they were all women only added to their charm, kinda like an idol, and their overwhelming strength combined with a reputation for near-impartial justice resonated deeply with the people.
***
The faint sound of a droplet echoed through the darkness.
Drip!
Eryke the Fifth slowly opened his eyes to a world of complete blackness.
Cold metal pressed against his back, the chill seeping into his skin and sending a shiver down his spine.
As he shifted slightly, the sharp clinking of metal chains rang in his ears.
“Hmm?” He tried to move his limbs, but found himself completely restrained, unable to shift even an inch.
He tensed his muscles and applied force.
A sharp crack echoed in the silence but he immediately halted his momentum.
He continued pressing against the restraints, but with only half his strength, just enough to test the chains, not enough to break them.
Then he let himself go limp, slumping to the ground in apparent exhaustion. His breath came in heavy, labored gasps, as if he had no strength left to resist.
It was then that he heard footsteps approaching.
He lifted his head and looked forward.
A faint flicker of light flared before him, forcing him to squint and knit his brows against the sudden glare.
Through the haze of brightness, he saw a shadowy figure drawing closer.
Then, in a low, magnetic voice, she spoke:
“What’s your name?”
“Zarek,” he said after a brief pause, choosing the name carefully.
“Alright. Where are you from?”
“Nightingale Town,” he replied in a calm, steady tone.
BZZZT!
A sharp crackle of lightning tore through the air.
Agony exploded through his body as electricity surged into him.
“Ahhh—!”
He screamed.
“Tell me the truth. Where are you really from?” the woman asked again, her voice now ice-cold.
He gritted his teeth and forced out, “I already told you.”
Hmph.
The electricity surged again, stronger this time, mercilessly tearing through his nerves, threatening to fry them to cinders.
Ahhh—
He cried out loudly again.
But beneath the pain, there was a glint in his eyes, a certain clarity only he could truly understand. Whether he genuinely felt the agony or not was known only to him.
After all, with the skill and another ability that granted him power over lightning, how could such a trivial thing truly affect him?
After a long, agonized roar, he finally fell silent. His lips were cracked and dry, and his eyes hollow.
“I-I already told you…”
The lightning finally ceased.
“We’ve checked every surveillance,” she said coldly. “You seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Are you seriously saying you escaped right under our noses until then?”
“It’s the truth. Believe it or not.”