After repelling the abyssal and undead forces after a tough fight with fifty level 9, even Varian needed rest. Once his mental burden was lifted off after talking with Kyle, it was apparent.
So, he rested with Sarah and Sia in a warm bath while hundreds of screens lit up in the large bathroom that's as big as a normal house.
With Boo back, Varian once again felt like the world was in his hands.
Every piece of news was listed, covering all the developments from Mercury to Neptune and beyond.
The girls were asleep after a quick but intense 'session' which calmed their nerves. Refreshed and in sage time, Varian studied the news carefully.
He quickly gained a deep understanding of the origin, development and the current status quo of the war.
"I can push things and increase our odds of winning this war." Varian muttered before he shook his head. "Nah. We'll win. Whatever it takes. Period."
He willed away the news portals and was about to close his eyes when his perfect memory hung on a single piece of news in the middle of the war a week ago.
It's something he neglected while taking in so many news pieces. But his intuition was screaming.
Varian raised a finger and the news screen popped up. It's a very, very private news in a very elite club available to less than a hundred members.
[The hyper venom is needed by Sovereign Irene. We know it's being stocked, but if you continue to do so, she'll die and so will you.]
"Die?" Varian raised an eyebrow. "Why would she of all people die? She's weaker than Despair Queen, sure. But her artifact gives her high defense, oh d.a.m.n! Artifact!" Varian vanished from the bath and stormed out of his room.
His clothes flew up and covered his body as he called the three Sovereigns he could trust.
Sovereign Irene didn't reply.
"s.h.i.t."
Sovereign Ares' call was attended by a beautiful woman.
Varian wanted to ask her to pa.s.s the call when he saw the unconscious blonde man in the healing container behind her. The battle was brutal and he went into a coma which might last for a full day. If they forced him awake, his healing would be interrupted.
Even though he hadn't known Ares for long, Varian respected the man enough to politely apologize to his wife and cut the call.
Varian tried calling Bali and the butler who lifted the call showed his master's condition. It's only worse than Ares.
Sighing deeply, Varian called the remaining Sovereigns one by one. He didn't trust them enough, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
None of them answered. Even if the call was lifted, it's the same story of too injured to even talk.
Varian realized that Abyss Emperor had gone bats.h.i.t crazy and provided something to actually increase the strength of the abyss rulers.
It shouldn't be too high or the Sovereigns would be dead by now, but it's definitely something.
"Increasing the strength of all level 9s, level 8s and level 7s...what madness is this?" Varian's eyes turned toward a distant red crack in the s.p.a.ce--Demon abyss.
During his time as Prince Var, he learnt about the character of the Emperor.
"A man who avoided a full scale war to prevent the loss of life, if you're going all in like this..." Varian drew in a sharp breath. "The Zions, no, the Fairies are knocking your door."
Then the situation was direr than he imagined.
Whereas the abyssals would've withdrawn after their advantages were neutralized--like in previous war--the same luxury wouldn't be possible this time. Abyssals were going to fight to death.
Varian was confident in his powers to win any battle but he had no confidence in stopping a war.
Say even if he's strong enough, he couldn't be at multiple places at once. They needed a strong army. In particular, a strong high awakener base that can fend off the enhanced abyssal high awakeners.
"I hope Kyle can do something..." Varian typed away a few messages to his friend regarding the urgency and necessity of the situation before turning to the Sovereigns again.
From Neptune all the way to Mars, no one's available. Varian skipped Earth and called Venus. The same dull result. Even Sovereign Albert, the strong military man had his hands tied.
He wasn't too injured and resting like the rest of the Sovereigns. But he certainly had no room to talk to Varian.
In the end, Varian called the one person he didn't want to address at all.
A white room came into view before it focused on a handsome middle-aged man sitting on the tidy, shining floor barefoot.
Watching the young man on the other side, the Sovereign's eyes shook for a moment as disbelief flashed in them before mirth settled in. His lips curled up ever so slightly as a calm but deep voice sounded. "To what do I do the pleasure, Mr. Genius?"
"Genius? The same pest that you tried to kill in the ruins?" Varian sneered.
"There is bad blood between us, I agree." Julius admitted. "I was interested in your secret back then."
"Now?"
"Even more so. Your strength is now touching the peak of level 9 and all this happened in just under a year." Julius' gaze bore into Varian's face like a scorching gale under the summer sun.
"Do you feel any responsibility in withholding such crucial information? This is the problem with power in wrong hands. You refuse to share what can be shared. Look at what it got us today, millions dead with billions of lives at stake."
The words were carefully chosen and the tone was full of admonishment.
If Varian didn't have a strong mind, he'd have been overwhelmed by the guilt for certain. But for better or worse, after causing millions of deaths on Mars, Varian no longer had the feeling of guilt. He still grieved for the losses but in treating the overall picture, he turned very rational and indifferent.
Julius was surprised to find the calm expression of the young man. He knew Varian was emotional. The young man he chased back in the ruins...he didn't let go of that girl even when his life was at stake.
What happened to that guy? It's been only three or four months. But Julius belatedly realized that the one standing in front of him today was a very different person.
"There are things that can't be shared." Varian snorted. "Not because I don't want to, but because I can't. Or how about you share your Heaven's Will quota?"
It was Julius' turn to be silent. "I apologize for being petty. While you might think my actions were wrong, I think it'll benefit the majority to share your secret. But now isn't the time to settle our differences. We are in a war. And I'm glad you're back."
It's so different from the Julius he knew.
Varian didn't understand why this b.a.s.t.a.r.d was acting like this. But he didn't care much about it and got to the point. "Sovereign Irene's artifact was stolen."
"Correct." Julius nodded with an expression of rage and pity. "One can only wonder why a Sovereign does such things. But again, I'd rather not poke the issue in this sensitive time if I were you."
"You know exactly why the artifacts are missing, Julius." Varian's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You're the one stealing them."
Varian ran his psychic power to the fullest and carefully observed Julius' expressions to the minute details.
A heavy silence filled the room.
"I'm sorry?" Julius looked at him in confusion. "If that is an accusation, then save it for later. As I said, we have a war going on."
Varian glared daggers at Julius but the frustration in his heart boiled like magma.
'There's nothing. Not even a single change in his facial expression.' If it's only that much, Varian wouldn't feel very confident of his judgement.
The point was Boo hacked into the device Julius was using and measured the man's heartbeat and blood flow the whole time.
'Master, he doesn't seem to be lying.'
? Varian stared at the Sovereign for a bit longer as the uncomfortable silence continued.
"Sovereign Irene's life is in danger without her artifact."
"Indeed. So, I hope we win this war and do something about it." Julius said lightly before asking off handedly. "Where did you disappear for and how did your power increase to peak of level 9 so quickly?"
Varian cut off the call and slumped into his couch clutching his head.
He had confidence of pushing back the abyssals but he couldn't push off the feeling that the traitor Sovereign wasn't any less of a problem.
-- -- --
"Too late." Julius chuckled as he rubbed a silver slate. On it were the ancient sentences that roughly translated to.
"Gain all artifacts and reach the apex of Mortals. Become a Celestial Ranker." The slates had roughly the same meaning Enigma gathered from all the towers.
It's the state he accidentally found in the ruins and kick started the loss of artifacts. Neptune's Demon Sword was taken in Pluto's war. Ura.n.u.s' Crystal Armor and Jupiter's Nature Seed were taken from Irene Nial in the last war. Mars' Aether Pendant was s.n.a.t.c.hed from the dead Kreo. Earth's Blink Ring was with himself.
Only one artifact, Mercury's Blood Gauntlets remained between Julius and Celestial.
And it's so close. So...close!
Whatever Varian was hiding now wouldn't be hidden under the light of a Celestial Ranker. And only then would their debt settle.
"You're very clever, I'll give you that. But experience will triumph when it should." Julius smiled. "Silly boy, Why should I steal when it's all rightfully mine? Mine! Mine all alone!"
The lie detection would work only when someone thought and knew they were lying. But when a person genuinely believed what he's saying, none of the normal methods would work.
Varian was careful enough to think about the ticking traitor Sovereign bomb but he was duped by a man who fully believed in what he's doing.
While the war continued to be the biggest challenge threatening mankind, an unforeseen danger was lurking around the corner, waiting for the perfect change to surface.