The Invincible Full-Moon System Chapter 1800: You’re Fragile

It came as a real surprise.

Linthia had actually uncovered spies placed there to monitor Haxel.

These two were experienced operatives.

According to her account, one posed as an elderly trader on the primary avenue, and the other pretended to be a habitual drunk. Nothing hinted at their true role in watching Haxel. They concealed their auras so effectively that Linthia failed to detect them, and their disguises were impeccable.

The sole giveaway was their systematic looks.

Spotting those glances became feasible only because they remained unaware of Linthia's presence.

Linthia had transformed into a Dark Drifting Spirit.

She now escaped the constraints of this domain and the Mortal Realm alike. Her essence—both soul and form—bound itself to the Well of the Untold. At present, the power emanating from her would draw suspicious stares. It carried a strange, alien vibe.

Weaker individuals couldn't pick up on her presence, while stronger ones would experience unease in her proximity, as if doom loomed. Rex himself continued adapting to the feel of her essence.

An essence that ought not to exist. Or more precisely, one no living creature should command.

Thanks to her abilities, she could glide beneath the earth like a phantom, trailing targets without detection.

That's precisely how she monitored the pair of spies from below.

"I knocked them out and kept them unconscious with my power," Linthia lifted her hand. Shadowy tendrils burst from the spies' forms, revealing their subjugation to her control. "However, I can’t find any identifier from them. I don’t know who sent them, but it must be the empire."

Linthia suspected the empire had dispatched these spies.

Yet if they truly hailed from the empire, they would have struck against Haxel already.

They might have sprung an ambush or summoned backup to eliminate him, but instead, they merely observed.

After all, Haxel had become a wanted criminal, deserving severe retribution.

This passive approach left her in doubt.

"The empire is busy with the missing empress and me," Rex crouched to examine the spies. "I doubt the empire has time to spare their attention for a small fry like Haxel. It’s Princess Davina. She’s most certainly the one who sent these spies."

Reaching that deduction proved straightforward.

Princess Davina hunted for him relentlessly. Desperately, if Mira's words held true, and her cunning and acuity stood unmatched.

She surely realized tracking him through the wilderness posed great difficulty.

Rather than banking solely on chance, she arranged matters so he would seek her out. Though she hadn't glimpsed Haxel amid his earlier disguise, she recognized the Immortal Slug event as deliberate.

Someone bore responsibility.

And that culprit could only point to Haxel.

Rex planned to eliminate Haxel, so she deployed spies to locate and shadow him.

It would have succeeded without Linthia's intervention.

"It’s good that you didn’t kill them," Rex nodded, as the System detected certain devices on the spies that would transmit alerts upon their demise. "Keep them unconscious for an hour more. Make do of them as you wish after."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Linthia bowed respectfully.

Rex extended his arms in a stretch before descending the stairs.

Plenty of tasks remained ahead.

He offered a casual farewell wave, "Clean this up before you leave."

Soon after, Linthia emerged from the protective barrier and spotted Rex nearby, perched on a low boulder.

She caught the sound of music. Though dampened by the howling dark gales, it persisted—a soothing melody from a woman crooning a lullaby. Drawing nearer, she spied a doll-like head next to Rex, one she immediately identified.

"Is that the Voidal Knight’s head?" She positioned herself a short distance from Rex, gazing at the head.

"Yes," Rex looked toward the Head of Sonanta and grinned. "I got used to listening to her in the Forsaken Tower. Helps me clear my mind, and fill the void." He picked up the humming head and settled it softly on his lap. "There are a few themes, but I mainly used the sad one."

Linthia observed Rex closely, interpreting his expressions.

’The tower is influenced by the Time Echo. How many years did he spend in there?’ Her gaze sharpened, sensing untold events within that Rex withheld. ’Being away from home must be taking a toll on him.’

Unlike Rex, Linthia had few ties left in Dargena City.

Most perished in the Humming Damned Forest, and her surrogate elder sister, Dindora, had vanished. Existing in an alien realm felt disorienting. Beyond the evident differences, the ignorance of this world's ways brought an unsettling sensation.

Yet homesickness barely weighed on her.

This contrasted sharply with Rex's experience.

"April knew that I often listened to this humming when I’m alone, but she pretended not to know," Rex added, shaking his head at memories of the Forsaken Tower. "That girl is really considerate. Hmm. She’s too... soft."

Linthia frowned.

Moments earlier, Rex addressed her directly, yet now he seemed lost in soliloquy.

Confusion arose from the sorrow tinting his tone at April's mention—as if reunion lay forever out of reach. Amanir had gone to retrieve April and Ethan, so they ought to wait safely at the base.

Strange for him to speak this way.

Still, she held her thoughts private.

"What are we doing here, Your Majesty?" She inquired, scanning the surroundings in bewilderment.

Haxel had departed.

By rights, they should head back to base, but Rex lingered here.

"To wait," Rex replied as he stored the Head of Sonanta in his inventory and shifted his gaze to the far left. He fixed on some distant point, invisible to Linthia. "I still have things to do. Oh, there he is."

A hulking form arose from the obscurity.

Its outline resembled a spectral wraith bearing twin luminous eyes.

Linthia ascended and summoned her strength, bracing for combat should the entity assault.

But Rex signaled with a wave for her to descend.

"He’s with us," Rex stated casually. "One of the Shade Crawlers."

Having merged with the Well of the Untold, her vision pierced the Black Rift more keenly than ever. She detected everything within two miles with clarity, and faintly perceived up to five miles out.

Nevertheless, this Shade Crawler evaded her awareness entirely.

It startled her.

They had navigated this realm longer, so Linthia composed herself swiftly.

"Have you found it?" Rex questioned, positioning himself before the shadow.

"Yes," the Shade Crawler responded, its voice slightly garbled. It had likely gone ages without proper speech, resorting only to snarls and wails. "Varya is already waiting at the location. She sent me here to bring you to her."

"Okay," Rex nodded and peered back at Linthia. "Go back and protect Ethan and April. I’ll be back soon."

"Your Majesty..." Linthia advanced, objecting.

The Shade Crawlers ranked as voidal beasts, and she refused to abandon Rex amid potential betrayal from these creatures. Despite Rex's faith in them, Linthia harbored no such trust. Loyalty demanded proof.

"You can’t come with me," Rex declared as he ventured into the shadow.

"But—"

"Relax," He interrupted Linthia before further words. "And do what I told you to do."

He proceeded onward, trailing the Shade Crawler.

Right then, a prompt flashed in his view.

<Does the user want to purchase Crown Embryo for 500 million gold?>

...

Amanir lounged at the cliff's brink, idly tossing stones, with far-off snarls serving as backdrop tunes. His duties complete, he now awaited Rex's return, ’Just wait a bit, he says...’

He tsked in irritation at Rex's parting words.

Idling proved simple enough, but not alongside two gloomy souls nearby.

"I’m going to take a walk," Ethan rose, brushed off his palms, and headed toward the cave's opposite end.

His steps came deliberate and slow. His posture sagged a touch.

Likely reeling from Rex's abrupt shift.

"Don’t go too far, or you’ll be eaten!" Amanir called out, cautioning the dangers despite Rex's safeguards. He noted perspiration on Ethan's neck and scoffed, "He should just accept Rex’s deal if he’s that scared."

His gaze landed on April nearby.

She sat with her back to the stone, knees drawn up and face hidden within, embodying utter dejection. For one who arrived full of cheer, this grim conclusion stung.

It grated on Amanir more than he'd confess.

He let out a heavy breath, "If you want him to change his mind, to accept you as one of his, then don’t act pitiful. Pity is not going to bring you anywhere. It will only affirm him in his choice."

April raised her head, "I’m not trying to be pitiful."

"Yeah?" Amanir flicked a stone with his finger, propelling it deep into the gloom. "You looked pitiful."

Though irked, she couldn't refute it.

April rested her cheek on her knees and eyed Amanir, "Say—what do you think is the reason he changed his mind?"

"Probably because you’re a pitiful brat who was coddled since birth and kept inside the safety bubble of your powerful family," Amanir replied without glancing up. His focus stayed on the next stone, tongue poking his upper lip as he lined up a mighty throw.

A pulse throbbed on April’s temple at Amanir's words.

She mourned, and now he ridiculed her.

"You’re mocking me," She hid her face once more. "It’s a mistake to even try to talk to you."

Swoosh—!

"Oh? That one is for sure the furthest one yet," Amanir squinted an eye, tracking the stone's path. He then launched another, "I’m not mocking you, though. I’m pretty sure that’s what made him change his mind.

"You don’t have even a sliver of darkness in you. He believed someone needed an extreme drive to survive in his world. Extreme negativity that kept you going," He faced April with a grave look. "In his eyes, you’re fragile."

Amanir grasped this truth well.

To Rex, April resembled a crystal prism, capturing and reflecting vibrant hues. In his view, such unblemished purity, bending only radiance, would shatter under his harsh, unrelenting existence.

Whether accurate or not, that's his conviction.

"I’m not fragile," April shot back fiercely. "I’m stronger than I look. And positive drive can also be an equally strong force. Love, for example."

"But your love is untested," Amanir chuckled scornfully. "You haven’t felt extreme pain, and someone like him could feel it. And don’t get me wrong, this is not an insult. It’s just that for Rex, accepting you would mean accepting that you’d probably die soon."

"So, what are you trying to say?" April gripped her fists tightly, locking eyes with Amanir. "How can I change that?"

"Normally, you’d have to accept parting with him for the time being, and work on yourself," Amanir said, stroking his chin with his finger like a sage dispensing advice—a mannerism that would amuse Devo to no end if present. "But you’re in luck, as the golden opportunity is right in front of you."

"In front of me?" April cocked her head. "You? You’re going to help me?"

"Of course, not, you silly coddled girl," Amanir snapped. He held no sway to sway Rex's decision, regardless of efforts. Only the Silverstars might. "The golden opportunity is his vendetta against the empire. Abandoning your birthplace in favor of him...

"Now that," He flashed a sly grin. "That’s a tested love, don’t you think?"