NOVEL NEXT Chapter 174: Chaos
The moment I stepped away from the center of the platform, the air around me cracked.
Not literally—but almost.
Mana around me surged, I could practically hear the whispers around me turning into a cacophony of what could only be described as chaos.
The floor above me had gone crazy while the ones below straightout started running to ards the exits.
Orders by several guards hired by the Lapui house could be heard as they rushed to block the exits.
Even though I knew that this whole fiasco originated because of me, I could not help but let out a sigh of relief.
A bead of sweat ran down my cheeks as I looked towards the audience.
This was exactly the situation I had wanted when I decided of telling the world of this truth.
People on the lower floors pushed against one another to get to the exits. Nobles who had spent the last hour pretending to be composed were now falling apart like a cheap play act while the smarter ones tried to observe the situation.
Guards tried to restore order. Some formed lines at the staircases. Others stood at attention, clearly unsure whether to protect the nobles or escape themselves.
The auctioneer lady behind me had gone totally pale, her calm exterior no longer at display.
The poise she'd worn like a mask earlier seemed to have gone now. Her lips moved, as I guessed that they were probably just curses in her native tongue.
'Can't blame her.'
I didn't need to look at her to know what she was going through right now.
After all, the feelings were something shared by the entire public.
When the whole scene with the Hollows had occurred back then, no matter who the wrong one was, it left a deep scar across everyone's faced.
As for me? I stared down all the way up to the lounge room, the place where I had dropped off the kicks, what I did not expect however, was the sudden appearance of King Philip...
"That man's back must be really thick for him to still come here after his entire kingdom was taken away from him —" I muttered, a little awed with his guts.
Staring back across the vast auction hall, my arms behind my back, I acted indifferent.
So much for elegance.
So much for order.
My words had ripped a hole through the pretty illusion they'd spent years building.
And in a twisted way, I was glad.
A smile, tired and dry, crawled up my lips.
'Sorry, Lapui family.' I thought.
You brought me here for a speech.
I gave you a war cry.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the Lapui Head finally stand from his golden booth two floors above. His face was unreadable, but even from this far, I could tell his jaw was clenched.
He was speaking into a long mana-etched scroll, likely trying to contact all the sector heads in charge of security.
The live broadcast was ongoing. Despite the auctioneer's command to cut the feed, the system's mana-link was global now...and I knew the delay wouldn't come in time.
Across the seven subcontinents, millions had heard my voice.
Millions now knew the truth.
And just like that, the world wasn't the same anymore.
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Omniscient's POV
Southyork - Royal Court Hall
A minister tripped over his own feet while running into the throne room.
"Your Majesty, you need to see this—"
On the glowing wall screen, Venus D. Romero's figure stood tall, calm, and terrifying as he declared the Hollows' return.
The Queen of Southyork paused mid-sip of her tea. Then, without a word, crushed the teacup in her gloved hand.
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Eastern Scorchlands - Wakhuba Fortress
Duke Kaine threw his gold-plated sword against the floor.
"You said they were dead!"
No one answered.
The man continued watching the screen replay the words in front of him again and again:
"The Hollows have returned."
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Jade Kingdom - Border Temple Ruins
Even the monks who hadn't spoken in years whispered prayers.
Some to the gods.
Some to anyone who would listen.
And some…to the monsters who might already be listening.
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(Venus's First POV)
Back on the platform, I tilted my head slightly and looked up at the light-rigged ceiling.
"Feels like déjà vu," I whispered.
Just a few years ago, the skies had cracked and rained fire. People thought the end had come. Back then, I had held a sword, not a mic.
But the fear?
it felt the same.
I turned towards the audience again.
Not everyone had tried to flee.
Some were still frozen.
Others were whispering with urgency, trying to guess if my statement was true or not. The smart ones were already preparing. Their expressions weren't shocked—they were grim.
Focused.
Those were the ones I trusted to survive.
One noble on the third floor clutched a scroll and was already whispering to his heir.
A general's wife grabbed her daughter and began calculating escape routes.
The old guard still remembered what the world looked like when monsters ruled the land.
And Noah?
Even from far away, I saw it.
My forehead rolled just a centimetre up as I saw the boy's eyes shrinking at the figure of the exquisite beauty who had just entered the room.
"Fuck..." I cursed.
After a lot of thinking, I came to a shocking conclusion.
The heavenly beauty standing in front of him?
She was none other than Sia Daffneer.
My mind could not help but drift towards a fleeting memory of mine during the later periods of the war with the Hollows.
Back in the days, I and Philip were pretty close due to being in the same regiment.
He was a man full of confidence and had a very extroverted mindset while I always liked to be isolated and work from the shadows. Everyone called us the 'Yin and Yang' of the mortal worlds.
But that is not what disturbed me.
The thing that ate away at me was of how I'd promised my first grandson's hand for his newly born daughter.
Of how I'd promised Noah's hand to none other than this crazy femme fatale of a girl—
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