Chapter 24: Investment 24— Shocking Point Blank Reveals

Elliot could barely believe his ears. What the dwarf said to him felt entirely surreal.

You won’t blame him. He had thought entirely that he was in a world coined from the novel.

Transmigrated by some unknown universal force that gave him the Investment System to save the villainess he cared so much about.

And now that very belief was about to be shattered to pieces. The looks on the vassals’ faces became dim as if they were grimacing. Whatever the dwarf was about to say clearly had an unruly connection to them.

"There’s no need to panic, young lad. I am just getting started," Kalehan tried to allay Elliot’s sudden panic attack.

"The world of Hale is being invaded by the darkness once more. To be more precise, evil forces have already begun to plot in our world. They plan to add even more allies to their ranks." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"But thankfully, the Dark Emissaries have yet to step into our world, which confirms that the barrier is still functioning to a remarkable extent." He let out a sigh of relief.

"But nevertheless, time is of the essence. As you are now, you can never hope to stand up to a Dark Emissary, not to talk about that bastard Dark God, Helix," he uttered the name of the Dark God with slight anger in his voice.

Though his eyes were closed, Elliot felt as if he was looking at him, peering deep into his soul.

"You are simply too weak for now." His voice boomed.

"Then how about the novel I read?" Elliot said with a cracking voice.

"Okay, okay." Yuki raised a hand. He dropped his tab on the bed and moved into a perfect lotus position.

"Allow me to explain, Master. The novel you read: Tales of Taneskia, published by yours truly." He placed a hand over his chest. He gloated over the fact that he was the publisher of one of the most popular web novels on Earth.

"So here’s the thing." He brought out a marble from his back pocket and placed it in front of his eye so that an enlarged eyeball could be seen on it.

"The entire universe, or whatever you guys call it on Earth, is like a very large reality marble. With different worlds closely packed together, separated by thin boundaries which I like to call Eldritch Layers. You know, because they demarcate other worlds from ours."

He cracked a very tired joke that no one else laughed at given the intense situation.

"Tsk, you guys could at least laugh, you know." He pursed his lips.

"Anyways, from my calculations, the Dark God has corroded and destroyed over a million worlds. As we speak now, our world of Hale and Earth are the two last worlds remaining. Earth is still kept safe because we managed to seal the Dark God and his Emissaries four hundred years ago. Well, for the very least, we helped our master sacrifice himself to save us all."

The joy in his voice vanished the moment he mentioned his master’s name. In a blur, he streaked across the space and grabbed Elliot around the shoulders.

"Master, I miss you so much. I thought you were gone forever." Tears of joy rolled down his eyes.

"Huh?!" Elliot was completely dumbfounded.

"Ahem!" Yuki let go of him and brushed off the ice from his shoulder.

"Back to the topic at hand." He walked to his bed and re-entered a lotus position.

"The Tales of Taneskia is merely what happened in the previous reset," he mentioned.

"But after the Chapter where Seria was about to be consumed by the darkness, you didn’t release any more Chapters." Elliot pointed out a crucial fact. He had always wondered how the story truly ended. He just concluded that maybe the Saintess drove the darkness away.

"That’s the interesting part I am getting to. First of all, I used the book as a scanner to help me track any trace of Primordial Energy in your world. That is when I found you, Himekawa Tenji. Your sickness was not merely a normal chronic illness. It was inflicted upon you by an Emissary of Darkness before you gained control of the only power that can destroy their master."

"But we used the last of our strength to prevent the illness from corroding your soul. Then the moment you passed on, we preserved your soul and put it into a vessel we created for you in the world in the name of Elliot Reingard."

Elliot kept on receiving one shocking piece of news after the other. At this point, he just sat on the floor so he could digest all this information.

"Eh... you seem pretty tired, Master." A warm couch rose Elliot from his feet onto it. A bottle of orange juice appeared by his side and drifted into his hands.

"Thanks a lot, Caldiya." He beamed with joy. He honestly needed the drink and the couch.

"No... No." She waved her hands rapidly. "Caldiya is very pleased you are back." She clutched her fists against her legs.

"Moving on. I am sure you noticed some slight changes from the novel. Like how Flora Gustaz did not awaken the power of the Saintess or the appearance of the Four Seasons. Well, that is due to intervention, but the other changes, like Vena appearing early or the Black Ring appearing too early, well that was due to the forces of darkness," Yuki explained meticulously, after which he laid sideways and continued playing games.

"Die, you fucking bastard!" He tapped the screen of the tab even harder.

Elliot turned to Caldiya.

"Hckkkkk." She flushed, closing her eyes.

"It’s... it’s... my turn now?" She stuttered. She behaved like all those shy characters in the web novels Elliot read that always turned out to have a sleek alternate personality.

"Woooo." She let out a calming sigh. "Let me start with telling you about Seria Ale Migalison. Also, congrats on your engagement." She smiled at him brightly, barely managing to maintain eye contact.

"She is a very special young lady and the only last remaining hope for our world alongside you. She is the key to unlocking the Primordial Energy inside you and only she can ensure the darkness is contained after you destroy Helix."

"The dark forces have tried many times to break her heart since it was only then that the darkness could consume her and gain a hold over her power of sealing. We have tried through multiple resets to prevent that from happening. Now that you have become the most cherished part of her life, I am sure they would do everything in their power to get rid of you."

Her voice didn’t sound timid and unsure like when she spoke earlier. This time she uttered the words with the definitive tone of a Deity.

"Anyone who is going to come close to my Seria." A white aura enshrouded Elliot as his mana flared. "Or dares touch a strand of her hair." He clutched his fist.

"Then I will rip them piece to piece until there’s nothing left. With these hands of mine, I will purge all those who wish her harm. Be it god, deity, spirit, or mortal."

His voice boomed in the space. The vassals were in awe of his conviction.