Chapter 168: A Heart Pounding Question
Chapter 168
"I was able to come to an hypothesis and narrowed it down to two things, that could be the possible reason why you don’t use primordial essence."
"One; you are actually using a completely different type of energy from primordial essence. Two; you don’t actually use any form of energy at all to activate your abilities and perform all those superhuman feats."
Alex knew right then and there that there was absolutely no use hiding it anymore. This woman was far too brilliant, and had cornered him with pure logic. But why? Why did she have to be so darn smart for Pete sake?
Sigh. Instead of just weaving another lie that she would easily tear apart, he chose to remain completely silent, his face a mask of stillness.
Looking at his silence, a knowing triumphant smile slowly appeared on Nyx’s enchantingly beautiful face.
"It looks like I was right for number one," she murmured softly, with her amber eyes gleaming with a mix of what looked like fascination and awe. "You actually use another type of energy other than primordial essence. Though you tried your best to hide it, I still saw the way your eyes almost shook before you hid it, when I mentioned the first option, but they didn’t change at all for the latter."
Why? Why in heaven’s name does she always have to be this smart? Couldn’t she have had a normal smart brain? Or was this the universe’s way of punishing him for whatever bad thing he had done in his past life?
All Alex could do right now was smile bitterly while shaking his head slightly, but he still refused to say anything, choosing to let her speak rather than confirming anything out loud.
Then Nyx stepped even closer, her posture radiating this sense of unyielding confidence as she looked at him intently, with her eyes narrowing slightly as she delivered the final blow to his secrets.
"I also know you’re the one connected to Doris, Jade, and Annie breaking through to the Ascendant Realm."
Alex’s posture remained locked, but internally, his thoughts were in deeper turmoil.
’What now? Hadn’t this woman already uncovered a huge portion of his secrets? Couldn’t she just rest?’
Nyx slowly paced around the room with her calm voice echoing softly off the mahogany bookshelves.
"Earlier, when we were discussing all about your spectacular escape from here, Doris had described your movements. She mentioned that you had used a high level teleportation ability to slip away. But more importantly, she noted that you had unleashed a concentrated ball of destructive energy during the chase."
She stopped pacing and turned her head to look back at him.
"From the way she described it, that red destructive energy perfectly matched Annie’s own ability. Hmm... So as for your sudden teleportation ability, do you know who else also has a teleportation ability? I’m sure you already guessed it. It’s Jade. You know, I didn’t want to jump into any conclusions at first, why you had those abilities. But..."
She raised a hand, rubbing her chin thoughtfully as a brilliant light flashed within her gaze.
"Just moments ago, in the courtyard, when I caught a glimpse of your green eyes turning a light shade of purple with distinct clockwork design ticking within them when you were facing Annie, I became convinced that you had a copy like ability, because those eyes are the exact signature look of Doris’s unique ability."
Nyx let out a soft exhale, a look of profound realization settling over her face as she stared at him like he was the most fascinating riddle in the world.
"So that means whatever thing that lets you copy their ability must also make them all reach the same power level as you," she stated, her voice dropping to a low whisper.
"Now it all makes sense. Why, when you were still just a Vanguard Realm Awakened, Doris suddenly broke through to the Vanguard Realm even though it hadn’t been too long since she Awakened and entered the Early Realm. And the same goes for Jade, who broke through only just this morning to the Vanguard Realm also, right after spending time with you."
She then paused, letting the heavy weight of her own words settle in the room.
"Every single person whose power you mirror, experiences a massive spark in their realm to match yours exactly. Four Ascendant Realm experts, the level where one begins to truly become an elite Awakened, all created on the exact same day. It was never something as stupid as a miracle or coincidence. It was all you."
Another heavy silence returned back to the study, but this one was thick and suffocating. Nyx stood perfectly still, with her eyes locked onto Alex with a piercing look, waiting for his reaction.
However, inside Alex’s mind, a familiar voice suddenly echoed with a dramatic gasp.
[Wow, Alex! Your wifey is really, really smart! She just basically stripped away all of your secrets using nothing but her own brain. I’m even wondering how you’re going to lie your way out of this one, champ]
Alex didn’t even blink on the outside, but mentally, that was a different story altogether. He let out an exhausted sigh, and replied to his system with defeat.
’What’s the use of lying now? I have no excuse good enough to convince her that she is wrong when she is in fact completely right. Trying to make up another story at this point would just make me look foolish in front of her.’
The image of the chibi floating around inside his mind, while crossing her tiny arms and nodding in pity, appeared in his head.
[Welp, even I can’t help you out of this one, champ. So you’re completely on your own, partner. Good luck!]
’Traitorous little gremlin!!’
Alex sighed and looked at Nyx who was still waiting for a response from him. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, a sudden sound came from the heavy wooden door of the study.
Thud! The door was accidentally pushed wide open, swinging inward with a sudden force that startled him.
Standing right in the doorway was the perpetrators, Doris, who was caught completely off guard in a funny, eavesdropping position with her ear still practically pressed to where the door used to be.
Right behind her stood someone who made him widen his eyes in surprise. It was the aloof Jade, who was currently facepalming herself so hard that a loud slap echoes into the room. Her cool expression was now completely filled with embarrassment for partner in crime, Doris.
Nyx didn’t even look startled. She slowly turned her head toward the door, her expression remaining as calm and composed as it had always been, as she stared at the two intruders.
"So... you two have been eavesdropping on our private conversation this entire time," she stated calmly, though her voice still had this power that made the room feel colder.
Jade instantly dropped her hand from her face, her regular cold and detached expression returning in a flash. She stepped out from behind Doris, completely throwing her companion under the bus without a single hint of hesitation.
"No. It was all Doris who was eavesdropping on you. I was only standing behind her, trying to stop her from doing something so shameless."
Doris’s jaw almost dropped to the floor. She whipped her head around, gasping loudly as she stared at Jade with eyes full of betrayal.
"You betrayer! How can you stand there and push all the blame on me? Weren’t you the one who was even fully focused on the door, tilting your head just to hear better while telling me to keep quiet?"
Jade did not even look at her, as he kept his eyes directly fixed firm ahead as she replied calmly, "I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about."
"You...!" Just as Doris aggressively opened her mouth to launch into a full blown argument to defend herself, Nyx raised a hand and gently pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a small sigh.
"Enough," Nyx said, cutting them both off instantly with her amber eyes sweeping across the two women with a cold look.
"Since you both have been standing out there eavesdropping all this time, it means you naturally know a lot of things now. Especially regarding the true reason why you guys were able to break through and advance today."
The previously playful bickering between the two girls stopped instantly, and the atmosphere inside the study turned very solemn in a matter of seconds.
Jade took a small step into the room, with a solemn expression on her delicate face. "Yes. We heard everything."
Doris also walked inside, her face turning entirely serious as she stood next to Jade. She looked at Alex, her eyes swirling with a complex mix of thoughts.
"It is clear that Alex actually helped us advance to this level. But..." She paused, furrowing her eyebrows tightly as she tried to understand the mystery behind it. "How exactly was he even able to copy our unique abilities in the first place?"
Alex suddenly coughed, his face instantly burning up with heat as his cheeks turned a faint shade of red. He looked away, completely unable to make any eye contact with any of the three women in the room because only he knew exactly what shameful method was required to copy their abilities.
Just as the silence grew awkward, Jade suddenly thought of something that happened not too long after her encounter with Alex. She opened her mouth and asked in a flat voice.
"Doris... Did you and Alex in any way sleep with each other?"