-Chapter Sixty-One-

What Creates a Broken Villain - Part Three

“Lieutenant, I have your next task.”

Quarren Leos received a folder with two hands from a cloaked figure - a different executive, not the same as the one who introduced him to this organisation.

“Return to your team and brief them on the details of this mission. Failure will not be tolerated.”

Leos, an emotionless man, now of little words, only dipped his head in silence. His life had no meaning, and it belonged to the organisation.

His lover dead; her killer dead too.

He opened the folder, revealing a portrait birthed by magic, giving life to the colours. It was of a young woman with purple hair.

As Quarren gazed at it, he thought, she was at this age too, when she… he closed the parchment and went on his way down the dark, underground corridors.

—-----------------------

Blue and sombre. It was a rainy day. But none of that concerned Leos, as he and his squad tried to pick up the trail on the target - codenamed “the Phoenix”. What did the org need her for?

None of his concern.

Nothing was his concern anymore.

He did as told. That is all.

Their target was slippery, leading them by the nose all the way around the continent. Where their chase had begun in the Holy Empire, that quickly after their departure, fell due to an attack from an other-worldly beast, the Spectre Border Crisis Incident, Leos and his squad went up north and never looked back.

He had long since shed his ties to the Holy Empire and Farrien alike. His eyelids fell shut, as he recalled a memory of his father trying to find him. He, the hope of their family, had disappeared after all.

The news of his attack on the Holy Prince and the following imprisonment had made it down to Farrien, causing his family to lose what little they had left of their honour.

One night, Quarren was out in the rain, returning to his homebase, when he was caught by his father. It all came gushing out of that man’s lips.

“How could you!?” Or, “How foolish of you!” Like the past, his father commanded him to return, expecting him to listen like he always had.

But Leos had long since come to realise that… no one in this world held such power over him. Except for the organisation.

And he laughed. He laughed in the face of his father a broken laugh, and then he slipped away into the night.

And that, was the last time he never met the man.

—-----------------------

The chase took north. In fact, it took them so far north, they found themselves arriving at the Northern Ice Ranges, a whole year into their chase. It was difficult, finding a single person in this large continent, who avoided populated cities like the plague.

But one day, they found her nonetheless, and that was where it all went wrong. Ah, perhaps this was how ironic fate was.

She was in a cave, humming to herself while she carved away at some sort of wooden doll. None that it was any of Leos’ concern.

When she heard their group of footsteps behind her, she turned with fear in her eyes. She knew, she was screwed.

Forcibly, Leos’ squad dragged her back to their camp. The moment they did so, their actions had resulted in the birth of a devil.

He came shooting down from the tree-tops like a shooting star. Brilliant, dazzling, fizzling white energy.

And though his Mana was unique, colourful, it was no match for Leos and his squad mates.

They were elites that had been created by the higher-ups of the organisation, after all. They endured painstaking experiments, sacrifice, and temperance to refine their flesh into the weapons they were today.

Nonetheless, the man - no, the devil, still took down half of his squad. That was it. Failure cannot be tolerated.

Leos went in for the kill. He never expected that, as his fist was propelling through the air, all of his force behind its trajectory, that the target - the Phoenix, would jump in the way.

Splat. Oh, down she went, half her torso gone, in an explosion of red.

Curses, he just killed the target.

Quarren felt a tug on his arm and a voice hissing.

“How could you kill the target!?” his squad leader angrily questioned him as she pulled him.

Leos saw him - the yet-to-be-born devil on his knees, clutching her destroyed body. Oh… Leos had never stopped to think that he was doing to that man the very exact same thin that had turned himself into a monster all those years ago.

Was all of this still none of his concern?

Well… perhaps it was fate being ironic.

Leos looked over his shoulder at the crying young man. He seemed familiar, like they had met before. But Leos couldn’t quite place it. His mind wasn’t as it used to be.

As he was guided by the hand of his squadmates and they swiftly vacated the camp, no reason to stay any longer, Leos didn’t know what to think at the lonely sight of the man in the night snow, grieving his lost loved one.

—-----------------------

The punishment for accidentally killing the target was harsh. His squadmates were loyal and tried to spin the story, but when Leos figured they would receive a group punishment, he stepped forward to confess that it had nothing to do with them.

And just like that, he saw his superior explode.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done!?” the cloaked man exclaimed, flabbergasted. “That woman was going to propel us, the Black Ghosts, to becoming the most powerful force on the continent!” The man grabbed Leos by the collar, angrily spluttering in his face. “Not many others can survive the enhancement procedure like you did! She was going to be able to increase the survival rates exponentially, with her healing powers-”

The man was going to continue his lambasting when the atmosphere in their meeting room suddenly turned cold. Under the dim lights, they both felt a presence join them. Leos looked to the corner to see a hooded figure step into the room, and a hypersensitive aura overwhelmed him.

The aura of this newcomer was so strong, he felt as though he was going to lose his stomach to the ground in front of him. Beside him, he saw his superior immediately fall to his knees and bow down.

“Exalted one! We are graced by your presence!”

Leos looked back to the newcomer, and noticed a reptilian hand sticking out from under their sleeve, as he unsurely bowed down as well, in submission to this powerful creature.

As it began to speak, he saw a snake-like tongue flickering out of its mouth, making soft whisperings that magically delivered their meanings into his mind.

The loss… of the girl… was a shame. But, we can forgive… this soldier’s transgressions… should he… reach the Ninth Tier. It does not matter how many die… in the procedure of… inheriting… our power. So long as… you can reach… the quota we gave you…

“Yes, exalted one! Your will shall be done! I will see to it that this lowly pawn does as you wish, and reaches the Ninth Tier.”

Leos glanced up from the ground nervously, seeing the figure slowly back out of the room through the door it came, and then he felt like his breath was returning to him again.

The superior rose back to his feet, looking down at Leos with an unimpressed glare. “You will not speak to any others of the being you witnessed today, or else you will not know peace even after death. Do you understand?”

Leos rose to a kneeling position, pledging his fist to the ground with his head lowered. “Yes.”

“Very good. Now go and rest. I will be in touch with how to make you into a Ninth Tier.”

But thankfully, that day never came.

—-----------------------

It seems the Black Ghosts have a powerful backing that possessed unimaginable power. Whatever that being was, it was not human.

But then again, it was none of his concern.

If there was anything that hung on Leos’ mind, it was the young man from back then. The scene of that man’s anguish, clutching the desecrated torso of his beloved, was burnt into his mind.

As the years passed Leos by and he worked towards the Ninth Tier, it always hung on his mind.

That young man seemed familiar. Where did he meet him from? Sadly, the years he spent tortured in that prison had dulled both his memories and his past self. But something felt special about that young man, like a golden aura.

Though he soon found out, that aura would turn dark.

This plot ran deep.

And then one day, while he was deployed to a remote village town for a classified mission, the skies were grey and stormy. Between the constant intense rain was an ominous crackling of lightning.

On his way to his destination, he met a lone figure awaiting him in his path, exuding palpable resentment.

Leos remained unfazed, but he could feel the deep hatred from the young man.

Lightning struck as they clashed, fist against blade. Leos was a sturdy wall and his opponent was an agile fighter, flipping and dashing around him.

Leos put his all into fighting this attacker, and yet, he was gradually falling behind in their exchange, until eventually, he caught a glimpse of the face of the young man.

And in that moment, he had an intrusive thought, upon realising it was the young man from all those years ago. Wouldn’t this be a fitting ending?

Why should we survive here, just to continue serving this organisation like a loyal dog? And carry out the schemes of some unknown force, when all he ever was, was a discardable pawn?

Gradually, Quarren’s fists hit softer. His movements became slower. In fact, his heart had already long since accepted the outcome of this fight.

His opponent did not take concern of his lack of willingness to continue. Mercilessly, Quarren’s head was sent flying by a clean blow from the man’s sword and his body went toppling over headlessly into a pool of dark red.

Standing over his body in the rain, his opponent was an exact mirror of his past self. This cycle of hatred was never-ending.

Quarren felt the exact same way when he killed the Holy Prince. Now, this young man feels the exact same way killing him.

As Quarren’s vision was fading, it all came rushing back to him. Alea… if only you were still alive to see how much that kid has grown… I think I have a few apologies to make in the afterlife.

As his eyes fell shut, he prayed with every fibre of his being. Dear Goddess Stecia, I do not wish for forgiveness. But please, give me the chance to repent. For, I have hurt people that did not deserve it. I am ashamed of myself.

—-----------------------

Aelius gasped as he was sucked back into his body, his hand on his chest. Violet beside him rose to her feet, looking down at the healing Quarren Leos with sympathy.

“Did you see?” she asked, turning to Aelius, who was still grappling his bearings.

“...I did, yeah.”

It was all gradually making sense. Quarren Leos’ memories were part of the missing puzzle pieces, but now, Aelius has them.

The Black Ghosts are being backed by the Devils. Quarren Leos and his squad had grown exponentially stronger through some sort of tempering experiment. No doubt, the Black Ghosts were carrying out the experiments at the behest of the Devils, and Goddess knows what sort of disgusting procedure it was.

From the sounds of it, it certainly did have a low success rate. So, they coveted Violet’s powers.

They need a healing machine in order to keep the subjects alive, so as to experiment on them longer. Lord knows what would’ve happened if Aelius had let them take her - she would’ve been entirely dehumanised.

Aelius’ fists clenched.

As for the wedding with the Royal Family, Aelius assumed it had something to do with Violet’s deceased parents and the Holy Emperor falling ill.

In this timeline, Quarren attempted an assassination and failed. They used Violet’s healing to restore him, using their marriage as a justification to keep her in their possession.

Now only one question remains.

Just why are the Devils trying to create more powerful human warriors? Their goal was to enslave humanity so as to use them as livestock to feed on, in order to develop their own powers, so they are ready to defend the invaders from Saki’s home-realm. But why did they need a Ninth Tier specifically?

And why not any other Ninth Tier? Why did they not target Augustus? Why was it that Leos had to be the one to become Ninth Tier?

Racking his brain was no use. At least, Aelius was sure he’ll come across the true answer in due time.

For now, there was something more important worthy of his attention.

—-----------------------

As Aelius slung Quarren’s arm around his shoulder and carried the feeble man out, he turned to Violet, who was clutching his hand tightly.

“Do you remember… everything?” he asked.

She returned to him a bright smile that he had not seen in so long.

“I left you a part of my powers. I never expected you to be able to bring it back with you through time. Thanks to that, I received all the memories left in it, including your own.” She squeezed his hand tightly. “I won’t let any of your loved ones die from now on. I swear on it the name of Vertex’s best doctor.” Her lips parted into a bright beaming smile. “This time, you’ll protect me, right?”

Aelius returned a bittersweet smile.

“I will. I’ll protect everyone, this time. And Violet? Thank you so much for making it back to me.”