Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler

"The target of the Holy Light Organization?"

"Are there members of the Holy Light Organization among us?"

"What the hell is a Heavenly Spirit Fruit?"

"Was it Liorael's research again?"

"Liorael was a damn traitor."

A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd like wildfire. Suspicion, fear, and anger stirred all at once.

Axel stood quietly in the midst of it all, wearing the same curious expression as the others. But inside, a storm was raging.

The man who had just delivered the order—Sethan—was supposedly equal in rank and power to Nolan, one of the strongest people Axel had ever seen. And yet, someone above him had sent an urgent directive that changed the tone of the entire operation.

If everything Isaac told him was real…

Just how powerful were the people who wanted Axel' father dead?

"Alright, let's move," Sethan said, snapping the crowd back into focus.

Each participant was issued an Opportunity Plate, a dark, palm-sized item that shimmered faintly with spatial energy. One by one, they stepped forward and passed through the blood-red interface—the outer shell of the Abyss.

Axel went in near the back of the line, positioned between members of the Whisper Syndicate.

From the outside, he looked calm—maybe a little tense, but nothing out of place. Everyone assumed he was bracing for potential run-ins with the Havoc Division or the Windsor family. Millers gave him a pat on the shoulder and offered a few comforting words.

Axel barely heard him.

If the Heavenly Spirit Fruit really can be used to develop a cure for the infected…

Then the person pulling the strings—the one who made his father vanish—wasn't just someone with military power or factional influence.

They were someone at the very top.

Axel's chest tightened. He gave a bitter smile, stepped forward, and vanished into the Abyss.

......

A few minutes later, somewhere else, Isaac pulled his helmet on and reentered the round table interface.

Six figures were already seated. A heavy silence hung in the air.

"You know it too, right?" Zhurnak's voice was low and furious.

"They didn't even try to hide it this time," Isaac muttered, shaking his head. "It's worse than we thought."

"The order came straight from the top," said the ethereal voice of a woman labeled only as Starveil. "And if they're willing to publicly target the Heavenly Spirit Fruit, then Liorael's disappearance wasn't random. Someone in the Senate was behind it."

Isaac added. "We've ruled out the peripheral members. This had to come from the inner circle—probably the top ten seats."

The Senate of Krythos—thirty-six members, half of them tied to the five ruling families. The most powerful political body in the entire Republic.

The others all turned toward the end of the table, where a lone man sat, cloaked in darkness.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Lord Aurelion.

"Shift focus to the next wave of candidates," he said calmly. "You can lower priority on the smaller families for now."

"Yes, Lord Aurelion," the rest answered in unison.

If Liorael's research really could work…
If they could obtain and replicate the formula…
If they handed it to someone who actually wanted to eradicate the infection…

Then the tide might still turn. Even the powerful families would be forced to reconsider where they stood.

But the odds were grim. They had only sent four operatives into the Abyss.

The other side had over a hundred.

Back in reality, Isaac removed the interface and sat in silence for a long moment. Axel… please, stay alive.

......

As Axel stepped through the Abyss entrance, a wave of dizziness hit him. The world spun for a moment—and then everything changed.

A raw, crushing force slammed into his body, forcing a sharp gasp from his throat.

"What the hell is this power?!"

It felt like someone had liquified thousands of high-grade Origin Stones and poured them straight into his veins. His entire body buzzed as the energy flooded him.

The sky overhead was bathed in blood-red light, giving the lush, vibrant landscape around him a surreal, almost dreamlike glow. Unlike the dead, barren land outside the Abyss, here the grass was thick and green, and the spiritual plants were thriving—far beyond anything he'd seen in the normal world.

Axel glanced around.

No one else. Just as expected—random drop point.

"Don't waste it," he muttered, loosening the restraints on his absorption channels.

In an instant, his body flared with energy. The Flood-tier Origin Veins roared to life like dam gates bursting open. Force from the environment surged into him, soaking every inch of his body with power.

Thirty minutes later, he exhaled, slow and steady, his body crackling faintly with residual energy.

"Incredible. Over fifty points of Force in half an hour."

He turned slowly, checking his surroundings. Ahead, nestled within a natural crater, shrubs and undergrowth masked the terrain.

Pulling out a worn map Isaac had given him, Axel squinted and confirmed his position.

"At this pace, I'll reach the Heavenly Spirit Fruit tree in a day."

Technically, everyone had been ordered to destroy those trees on sight. But Axel had one major advantage—he already knew where to look.

An hour into the journey, Axel came to a sudden halt.

"Is that... a Three-Life Lotus?"

Just ahead, in the center of a shallow pond, a brilliant lotus flower bloomed.

He recognized it immediately from the Syndicate's intel database—glowing with three large petals and a pulsing core of lotus seed hearts. Each heart could be used to create up to twenty Life Pills, some of the most potent healing items available.

Even raw, the seeds were exponentially more powerful—and far more valuable.

Tens of millions per seed on the black market.

"I just struck gold."

Axel's heart pounded as he dashed toward it.

But before he could reach the water's edge, a familiar, cocky voice called out from the side.

"Haha! Jackpot!"

He skidded to a halt as another figure emerged—grinning like he'd won the damn lottery.

Torren. Havoc Division.

Their eyes locked. A brief silence passed between them.

"You?!" Torren's expression darkened immediately. He didn't try to hide his hostility.

Axel's muscles tensed. He didn't trust Torren for a second. Both men did the same mental math, gauging their odds.

But after a long beat, Torren slowly pulled the massive blade off his back and held it in a non-threatening position.

"Look," he said, "we can settle the Maxen thing after we get out of here. For now, how about we split the lotus 50/50?"

Axel blinked, surprised. He'd expected a fight.

Torren noticed. "What, surprised I'm not trying to gut you?"

He snorted, then nodded toward the thick forest beyond.

"This place is crawling with mutant beasts. One loud fight, and we'll both be swarmed. If either of us gets hurt, we won't make it far anyway. So—yes or no? If not, I'm ready to throw down."

His Force level flared—fourth-tier, mid-grade, close to 2,000.

Axel paused, calculating.

He could probably win. But even if he did, any injury would slow him down—and his main objective was still the Heavenly Spirit Fruit. Wasting time here would be reckless.

He gave a small nod. "Fine. Half each."

Torren grinned, then shrugged. "Good. Let's harvest."

Just as Axel and Torren were about to begin collecting the lotus seeds, a voice rang out from nearby.

"Miss Zoey, we're in luck. Looks like we've found a Three-Life Lotus."

The two of them turned—and saw a man and a woman dressed in high-end combat gear strolling toward them with an air of practiced arrogance.

Torren's expression immediately shifted. Their demeanor screamed one thing: nobility. And if there was one type of Awakened he hated dealing with, it was nobles.

"Great," Axel muttered. "Guess we're still handing over half too."

The pair walked up from the lower slope and quickly spotted Axel and Torren.

"You two," the man said flatly, his eyes flicking across their figures with mild disinterest, "we found this lotus first. We just stepped away for a bit and came back. Please leave.."

Axel raised a brow. "Are you kidding me?"

That single comment shifted the atmosphere.

The woman's gaze turned icy. The man—Torren—tensed, his expression stiffening.