NOVEL WEB Chapter 84
84. To The Keyholder
A black hole suddenly appeared, and I stood there, stunned.
“Come this way.”
A voice called from beyond the hole.
It was a cool, feminine voice.
“You want to avoid a future of ruin, don’t you?”
“…!”
Electra immediately leaped into the hole.
“Wait!”
I tried to follow, but the hole shrank to a pinpoint and vanished instantly.
“She got away…”
I stared at the empty space where the hole had been and sighed.
I still had questions for Electra.
About her vision of a future where not only we but other skill holders were fighting.
Whether, like Gyrasvrim and Dialva, other Demon Generals would attack.
And, if she could see the future, there must be a lot she could do with that power.
She could save many people.
But now isn’t the time to dwell on that.
I exhaled deeply and walked over to Lilith and the others.
“Is everyone okay?”
It looked like none of the four were seriously hurt.
Luca and Sarome, who had been tied up, had slightly bruised wrists.
Alice was using healing magic to treat them.
“…Sorry.”
I bowed my head to the four of them.
“Electra was targeting me. That’s why you were taken hostage…”
“Haruto, it’s not your fault.”
Luca said calmly.
“I was captured because I was too weak. That’s all there is to it.”
“Rather, we should thank you for coming to save us. Thanks.”
Salome smiled warmly.
“We’re grateful.”
Luca bowed her head next to her.
“Besides, she seemed to know all our moves. It’s like she was cheating.”
Sarome stuck out her tongue playfully.
“Anyway, Haruto, you shouldn’t feel bad about it.”
“Exactly.”
Sarome and Luca spoke in unison.
“…She knew our moves too.”
Lilith muttered, frowning.
“Haruto and Electra’s conversation… it was hard to hear over the strange noise. But I caught bits about fate and the future… do they have something to do with each other?”
“Electra is a fortune teller, after all. Maybe she foresaw our actions…”
“Even so, I doubt any fortune-telling could predict everything like that.”
Alice shook her head at Lilith’s words.
“I don’t think it’s possible to see people’s futures with certainty, even with fortune-telling or magic.”
Lilith’s eyes locked onto mine.
She had been there during my fight with Gregorio.
Twice she’d witnessed battles between skill holders—did she sense something?
I can’t speak of the divine skill.
Even if I try, the words get tangled in painful noise that prevents others from understanding.
“Ah, sorry. I’m not trying to pry.”
Lilith waved her hands hurriedly.
“Huh?”
“You looked troubled, Haruto.”
Realizing my face had tensed up, I spoke.
“I…”
“If we’re mistaken about something, let me say this: we don’t blame you for what happened.”
“Don’t worry so much, Hart.”
Lilith and Alice smiled.
“Haruto, you’ve saved us so many times.”
“Yes, this time too. So, let us treat you to something as thanks.”
Luca and Sarome smiled too.
“…Thank you.”
I wanted to help them.
But instead, they were the ones comforting me.
Gratitude and guilt swirled in my chest.
I wished for strength.
To protect them all better than ever before.
Perhaps the answer lies in the vision I saw when I resonated with Electra.
The goddess showed me the potential for my power to grow there.
In the ruins of Elios City.
“The Temple of the Ancient Dragon…”
※
Before she knew it, Electra was by a spring.
“Where is this…?”
It was completely different from the fountain park she had just been in.
It didn’t seem to be within the town at all.
“It looks like I managed to save you.”
A woman appeared from the bushes ahead.
She seemed to be in her late twenties.
Her wavy, golden hair reached her waist.
Her rosy dress matched her radiant beauty.
Her ample chest, narrow waist, and curvaceous hips exuded a seductive allure even to Electra.
“Nice to meet you, Electra Lavana.”
“Who are you…”
Electra’s face tensed with confusion and caution.
“The Goddess of Fate, Maneuver…”
She instinctively tried to use her foresight.
If she knew what was coming, she could react and be invincible.
Unless someone like Hart, who could rewind time, was involved.
“Don’t be alarmed.”
The woman raised a hand to stop her.
“I’m one of your kind.”
A glowing symbol appeared above the woman’s head, similar to Electra’s.
“I am a recipient of the power from Ga Zegalia Fio—”
The woman said, almost singing.
“How do I know you aren’t an enemy?”
“Go ahead and use your foresight. It will put your mind at ease, won’t it?”
The woman smiled without any sign of hostility.
“…Fine.”
Electra used her foresight as suggested.
She confirmed that the woman before her was not an enemy.
Of course, she could only see the near future with certainty; the distant future was unclear.
But for now, the woman didn’t seem to have hostile intentions.
“Alright. For now, I’ll consider you an ally.”
Electra relaxed her guard slightly.
“The boy with the power of Goddess Ilfaria… impressive. To defeat someone who can see the future.”
(She knows about Haruto and my abilities…?)
Electra replied, keeping a sharp eye on the smiling woman.
“Yes, reversing time to defend… even I can’t deal with that.”
She recalled a previous foresight.
Dissolving into rainbow light and disappearing.
That scene hadn’t happened in this fight.
She must avoid that destined outcome.
But now isn’t the time.
“You don’t need to act. The person you should meet isn’t him. There’s someone else.”
“Someone else I should meet…?”
“That person might lead you to a future you haven’t seen yet.”
In other words, someone who could help her avoid her ruinous fate.
So, there was no need to focus on Haruto.
Even if she fought him again, she’d likely be defeated.
“And who is that person?”
“Oh, I’d like you to tell me that. Fortune teller.”
The woman smirked.
“That person is the last skill holder—the one with the power of Ada El.”
“The last…?”
“Help me find them. They are the keyholder for the upcoming war between gods and demons.”