The Invincible Full-Moon System Chapter 1804: Responsibility

Rex lifted his gaze toward the woman, squinting with one eye shut.

His chest heaved with labored breaths, as he realized the liquid that roused him wasn't ordinary.

"Where am I?" He forced out the words once he regained some air.

"Inside a hidden dungeon below the royal palace, the Asphodel Oubliette," Great Elder Rosa tossed the pail away. Then she settled into a wooden seat opposite him, her expression inscrutable. "Crafted by the emperor personally for the cruelest and most dangerous offenders."

Rex gave a feeble nod.

Being confined in this spot didn't shock him at all.

The surrounding stone seemed to pulse with life.

Bound vertically on a slim ledge, he was swathed from head to foot in faded, stained fabric resembling a wrapped corpse. Silver threads were interlaced into the material. The distinction between this realm's silver and that from the Mortal Realm remained vague, yet this version intensified his disorientation alongside its draining influence.

Beneath him lay a shadowy chasm.

Rex had no idea what lurked inside, unable to peer downward, though he sensed the void where solid ground should be.

Heavy chains dug into the six-sided massive iron plate encircling his throat, stretched tight in four ways, every link weighing like a peak. They didn't just hold him back; they tethered his very being to this location.

Silver, emptied poles stabbed mercilessly through the coverings.

Securing skin to cloth, and cloth to immobility.

These poles were smeared with a unique fluid. Wolfscourge. An exceptional concoction that curbs werewolf characteristics, potent enough to impact even the royal lineage. Luminous runes scarred the outer layer of the restraints. Additional efforts at suppression, without doubt.

His fingers stirred slightly under the wrappings, probing for any vulnerability, yet none existed.

Overhead, the roof remained out of sight.

A twisting stairway ascended into the darkness above, serving as the sole entrance and exit to this domain.

Sentries were likely concealed past that darkness as well.

Though Rex's perceptions were muted, his intuition detected numerous watchers keeping vigil over him.

"Escape is beyond you," Rosa declared, noticing Rex's examination of his surroundings. "It's utterly futile. Every restraint draws from the holy knowledge our Spirits obtained by penetrating the Spirit Realm. Designed specifically to hold werewolves. You're powerless against them."

"I've encountered that claim endless times before," Rex replied, his tone parched like a withered fall leaf. Proof of the endless days sans liquid since his seizure. His gaze, honed by urgent determination, locked onto Rosa once more. "What's happening beyond these walls? Have they located the empress? Who's aligned with this scheme?"

"Any opposition forming? How fares Amanir?" He halted and strained ahead, chains rattling lightly. "And... April?"

The final mention caused Rosa's features to flinch.

Rex caught the flinch, stirring unease within him.

"Tomorrow brings a grand assembly for all the aristocracy," Rosa reclined in her seat. Her tone carried a grave finality. "Hosted directly by the emperor... alongside the empress," She lingered to observe the contortion on Rex's visage. "Your execution awaits there before the nobles, joined by Amanir and April."

Deg—!

His pulse thundered fiercely within his chest.

Rosa caught the gust wailing through the room, while the thick chains rattled together.

Her brow furrowed.

This surge came from Rex's inner force.

Even with all the toxins coursing through him, it startled her unexpectedly.

Yet the restraints endured steadfastly.

"Duke Lorcan has thrown in with the emperor too. Seems he struck a bargain for his fading lineage to gain greater aid from the crown." Rosa glanced at her lap, fists balled tight there. "And they're forcing me to decide now."

Rex fixed Rosa with a piercing stare.

April had been dragged into his mess, meaning their secret agreement with Rosa was out in the open.

She found herself cornered now. Forced to pick between the realm or her own child.

Given the vast number of Aurelius House heirs, Rex marveled at her deep concern for April. Still, her attachment proved fortunate.

The System's denial of the Invincible II item had stunned him.

Reflecting on it now, though, the reason stood evident.

He held the status of Scion these days. Numerous Scions, such as Ignatius, kept tabs on him closely. Activating the Invincible II item would draw their meddling. The System might be flexible, but it intervened if Rex drew foes he couldn't possibly defeat.

Provided he possessed even a mere 0.1% shot at victory, the System stayed out.

Zero odds, however, compelled its action.

That single guideline defined the System, proven during his flight from the Lunirich Gods.

"What's your strategy?" Rex inquired, arching an eyebrow. "She's your blood."

A purpose surely explained Great Elder Rosa's presence seated before him at this moment.

"Aid my release from these bonds, and I vow to safeguard April plus your whole kin," Rex pressed on, his gaze shimmering with scarcely restrained venom. "No force will halt me. The Spirit Emperor included—I swear it."

Rosa rose and drew near. Shadows darkened her countenance.

Yet as soon as she entered reach, her palm struck his cheek with force.

The sharp crack of skin against skin resounded throughout the space.

"Vow to shield April—and my kin?" Her query came in a controlled whisper. Rage boiled inside, yearning to erupt, but she contained it. Crimson rimmed her eyes from fury and torment. "Where's that oath to keep distance from her? You failed even that, yet seek my faith anew?"

"Am I some idiot to you?" Her intense gaze bored into Rex's.

She lifted her palm once more for another strike.

Rex held his head steady, inviting the blow. He had it coming.

He held no grudge against Rosa's outburst, given all her past support.

But the strike didn't land.

"My aid came solely because you'd depart soon," Her lids tightened. Remorse lingered in them for ever aiding Rex. "I merely urged no deeper ties to my bloodline. And yet... see our state now."

Rosa swept her arms wide to encompass the chamber, "Witness our downfall!"

"You ought to have risen above such folly," She buried her face in her palms. Nobility's poise vanished. Her subdued might evaporated. "Though that innocent lass threw herself at you, refusal was your duty. Instead... They're demanding I end her life myself."

At those words, Rex's eyes flared wide.

Requiring her to slay her daughter crossed every line.

Yet that's the ruthless way of the mighty.

Weakness invites brutal reprisal.

Rex's chin sank against the iron collar at his neck, thoughts racing from this revelation.

April's shy whisper echoed in his thoughts.

'But take responsibility.'

Rex's mouth twisted in bitter irony—finally grasping how impossible it was for April to exit his life now. She'd already brushed his shadows, and those shadows had enveloped her. Urging her away wouldn't protect her.

It would doom her.

Like with Rosie. He'd destroyed her by shoving her aside after she'd entered his realm.

This time... Things would shift.

Unyielding resolve and venom potent enough to swallow all surged in his stare.

"I never should have visited," Rosa brushed away a tear from her face—and pivoted to depart. "Just needed to unleash, but that's immature. Our pact concludes here, Rex."

Merely paces from him, Rex's words halted her abruptly.

'I erred. I see that now.' He conveyed, urging her to face him anew.

She regarded him, noting the shift in his gaze.

'I'll shoulder the burden. The burden of rescuing April from the empire's grasp.' Rex went on. Rosa's brow creased as she noted he spoke not with voice. Telepathy flowed from him, defying his suppressed state.

His mouth stayed still, yet his words boomed in her head.

'How...?' Rosa's crease deepened. 'Every ounce of his strength is sealed. How accomplished he this?'

'Should you proceed with this...' Rex's words jolted her from reverie once more. 'Should you obey their orders and slay April,' His features warped darkly while his eyes blazed like flowing magma. 'Your kin and you will sink with the empire. That's my oath. Grant me another shot. Let me correct this.'

Rosa whirled completely around.

Her choice had solidified moments prior, yet doubt crept back in.

Rationally, Rex's plea warranted no heed.

Emperor Dominar dwarfed Rex in might by vast margins. No contest. A colossal beast versus an insect. Thus, reason dictated allegiance to the crown, the probable victors. Yet her gut roared in opposition, drawing her to the figure ahead.

Rex appeared drained. Bound. Defenseless. Strangely, the dynamic reversed.

As if allying with the empress meant not Rex caged in this dungeon.

The empire stood imprisoned instead.

Rosa teetered on the edge once more.

Deep in her core, she sensed it. Her verdict would seal her lineage's destiny.

'I yearn to trust you, yet doubt clouds my faith,' Rosa thought silently.

Convincing proof was essential.

Words from Rex alone couldn't sway her belief.

'Simplest reply: the Divine Saintess forsook the empire to join me,' Rex responded, altering Rosa's look instantly. A promising beginning. 'Yet I refuse your support based on her, for I'll seek no aid from her. I'll exert my utmost, and I need your trust in me.'

Rosa's eyebrows lowered anew.

Despite the holy accord binding emperor and Divine Saintess—an enduring vow barring her defiance of the empire—her involvement would swiftly deter nobles from opposing Rex.

Eschewing that edge struck as foolish arrogance.

Still, Rosa consented to listen further.

'Curious about my scheme? Truthfully, capture was my aim from the outset, one form or another. It arrived swifter than planned, but here I sit, precisely as desired.' A sinister, shadowy laugh slipped from Rex's mouth.

'How will you break free from this dungeon?' Rosa questioned skeptically. 'It's unattainable.'

Rex tilted his head upward and inhaled the atmosphere, the moisture soothing somehow.

His eyes gleamed with crimson glow, fiercer than usual.

'Your domain studies werewolf vulnerabilities broadly. Correctly so. But when last did your kind verify—afresh?' Rex flashed a slight smile. 'Believe werewolves unchanged over time? Or that I'm typical among them?'

Rosa's throat tightened parched.

The Black Rift spurred Spirits' evolution across years.

What barred werewolves or other supernatural folk in the Mortal Realm from similar growth?

With the Black Rift's ceaseless assaults, no chance arose to scout the Mortal Realm anew.

Should the Mortal Realm embody brutal survival of the strongest, how mighty have its dwellers grown? Though the Mortal Realm's power waned, weakening versus the Spirit Realm, adaptations persisted unchecked.

Matched at equal power, Mortal Realm entities might surpass vastly.

'Once, I was frail in the Mortal Realm,' Rex pressed, his timbre sinking to a rough whisper. 'In scarce a year, I rose to supremacy. I entered as a simple High Spirit, now an Eternal Spirit. Tranquility eluded me always. Mighty ones pursued my end. Monarchs, rulers... deities too. Still,' He allowed the pause to build, heavy with tension. 'I persist.'

'Choose wisely, Rosa. I'll demonstrate precisely why so many below dread the name Rex Silverstar.'