Chapter 182: I’m Really Jealous of You, Shiltina. Jealous That You Can Have Him

Ardentflame Domain, ruins of the Gustav Nuclear Power Plant.

Ingrid stood silently atop the desolate ruins, behind her lay a forest forged from steel.

Dilapidated steel and fractured concrete stretched beneath her feet. Above Ingrid’s head, the massive cooling tower had long since collapsed, leaving only the fragmented arc of its wall. Behind the tower wall, a hazy gray sky loomed in the distance.

The Gustav Nuclear Power Plant—this was once the name of the largest nuclear power facility in the entire Granwell Kingdom, perhaps even in all of the Western Continent. Vast thermal energy was generated in the reactor cores through nuclear reactions, then converted into electricity, supplying power to no less than thirteen provinces in the northern regions of the kingdom.

But that was merely “once.”

Five years ago, in the largest nuclear accident in Western Continent history, over half of the plant’s secondary reactors exploded, and radioactive dust shot skyward.

Even before the meltdown of the plant’s primary reactor core, the military team that arrived on scene had risked their lives to insert the control rods—averting the worst-case scenario: a massive explosion whose radioactive fallout might have contaminated half the kingdom.

Even so, the preliminary nuclear leakage alone had already polluted most of the Ardentflame Domain.

Once a land of prosperity and bustling industry, among the most populous and economically thriving provinces of the kingdom, the Ardentflame Domain was reduced to an uninhabitable wasteland in just five years. Countless civilians had been forced to relocate, abandoning their homes and drifting into displacement.

And at the heart of that nuclear catastrophe, the Gustav Nuclear Power Plant had since become a forbidden zone of life. To this day, high-density radioactive dust still drifted between the sky and the earth. Ordinary humans—and even low-tier extraordinary individuals—would suffer irreversible damage to their bodies if they stepped into the area.

Yet at this very moment, Ingrid appeared within this lifeless forbidden zone.

She wore a stern and commanding military uniform, the collar embroidered with a griffin pattern in golden thread. Her jet-black, shoulder-length hair cascaded over her delicate shoulders.

Amid the steel jungle, Ingrid resembled a silent stone statue, without a place in the world.

And indeed, she truly had nowhere left to go.

As a senior official of the Granwell Kingdom’s Ministry of National Land Order—commonly referred to by the public as the “Military Department”—and the former director of the Supervision Office… Ingrid understood better than anyone just how crazed and ruthless the hounds of the Military Department and the Central Administration could be when pursuing their targets.

They would repeatedly investigate and interrogate every scrap of the target’s history and personal relations, never letting go of a single clue… By now, every person Ingrid could contact, every place she might flee to, was likely already ensnared in a net cast by those hunting hounds, just waiting for her to walk in.

Three months of time—from the interweaving alliances at the top levels of parliament, the power struggles among influential figures… to the deadly battles between high-tier extraordinary individuals in the shadows, from the Royal City to the borders, and from the borders to the Nightworld’s Echo of History.

Spanning over half the kingdom, through seven different Echoes of History, a series of hunts and counter-hunts… this life-and-death war was nearing its end, and the final outcome would soon be decided.

The kingdom, led by the royal family, had emerged victorious over the alliance of nobles colluding with organizations like the “Bronze Rose” and cult groups in their plot to overthrow the realm… this was a foregone conclusion.

Or in broader terms, the side representing order—the royal family—had defeated the rebellious nobles who sought to ignite war.

It was the tale of “justice” triumphing over “evil.”

However—

Ingrid, who held the Higher Sequence of “Justice,” found herself, in this tale where good must defeat evil, cast in the role symbolizing “evil.”

And now, as this story of opposition between justice and evil approached its final chapter, the hounds of the Military Department and Central Administration had laid their traps across the land, ready to completely exterminate Ingrid—the last remnant of evil, now with nowhere left to hide.

Her so-called comrades—those once aligned with her from the ranks of nobles or hidden organizations and cult groups—were likely already beginning their withdrawal from the borders.

But Ingrid rejected the invitations of those secret organizations and cult groups. She chose instead to remain alone, making her way to the ruins of the Gustav Nuclear Power Plant, silently waiting in this forbidden zone of life for the net to finally close in.

...

This serene and unchanging scenery—who knew how long it had lasted.

Until a certain moment, when the soft sound of footsteps across the steel jungle broke the stillness of the nuclear plant ruins.

“Senior.”

A calm voice came from the entrance of the nuclear plant.

Clad in a uniform of interwoven red and white, stood a girl—a knight.

At her waist hung a deep-blue rapier, dark as the night sky. Her bright chestnut hair flowed freely, blazing like fire under the gray, overcast sky.

“Within a ten-li radius, yours is the only trace of life… Shiltina, you really are honest and punctual.”

“You said in the last Echo of History that you’d come alone… and you truly did.”

Ingrid turned her body slightly, looking at the young knight who stepped slowly into the ruins: “If I were in your place, I probably would have abandoned that promise to come alone long ago.”

“Then, leveraging my identity as a royal princess, I’d have mobilized several Sixth Tier powerhouses to surround and kill you. Even if I really had to show up for negotiations in person… at this very moment, there’d definitely be more than four heavy sniper rifles aiming at my head from a distance.”

Her gaze swept across the entirety of the nuclear plant ruins, over the forest of steel and concrete. Her eyes paused slightly at several prime sniping locations.

It was Ingrid’s instinct—once the Director of the Supervision Office, a soldier through and through. Whenever she arrived at a new location, she would naturally scan for sniping spots and countermeasure positions.

But she knew full well that all those sniper spots were empty—there were no seasoned snipers hidden there… even with Shiltina’s status as a royal princess, no level of security would be excessive. Equipping snipers for protection was just standard protocol.

Because Ingrid understood—this awe-inspiring young knight had never gone back on her word. Once she resolved on something, she would not waver. If she said she would do it, then she would—without fail. Even if deceiving enemies on the battlefield was standard tactics, no one would question Shiltina’s morals.

This younger schoolmate of hers—this young Rapier Wielder—shone with such radiance… a radiance so dazzling that those used to the darkness, used to dwelling in the shadows, would find it blinding, and feel utterly unworthy.

Ingrid lowered her eyes slightly and looked around. “Do you know why I chose to face you here, Shiltina?”

“Of course.”

The Rapier Wielder’s voice remained as resolute as ever. “Five years ago, the accident at the Gustav Nuclear Power Plant in the Ardentflame Domain… was a catastrophic event that shook the entire kingdom.”

“At the time, after many subsidiary reactors exploded, the main reactor was also on the verge of collapse. Its core could melt down at any moment.”

“According to post-incident simulations by the Arcane Tower, if the core had melted and the main reactor exploded… thousands would have died instantly in the explosion at the plant, and the resulting radioactive fallout would have spread into the surrounding seas, rendering nearly half the kingdom uninhabitable.”

“At that time, the Military Department hastily assembled an emergency response team composed entirely of extraordinary individuals.”

“Under immense time pressure, equipped with only basic hazmat suits, they charged into the reactor’s core—braving lethal levels of radiation—and manually activated the emergency cooling system at the last possible moment, inserting the control rods and averting a nuclear disaster.”

Shiltina spoke slowly, clearly: “And the captain of that emergency response team—”

“The one who, after all her teammates collapsed from radiation exposure, entered the core alone, enduring radiation deadly even to extraordinary individuals, and turned the control valve eighty thousand times by herself to manually activate the emergency cooling system…”

“The hero who inserted the control rods and prevented a nuclear disaster—was you, Senior Ingrid.”

Shiltina stared straight at Ingrid, as if flames of anger were buried deep within those light brown eyes.

“This place, these ruins of the nuclear power plant, was also the beginning of your glory and dreams.”

“That nuclear leakage incident made you a hero and earned you great military merit.”

“It was precisely because of that achievement that you, who had only just joined the Military Department and lacked seniority, received the attention of the Upper Ranks… You were exceptionally promoted, which led to you becoming the youngest Director of the Supervision Office in the entire kingdom.”

“Your heroic act of preventing the nuclear disaster remains engraved to this day on the Starfall Obelisk—alongside the names of those predecessors who perished exploring the Nightworld and fighting the Twilight Calamity. Every newly enrolled freshman at Starfall University will read your story…”

“Even after centuries, the glory and honor carved into that stone will never fade, but continue to shine brightly!”

As if suppressing her fury, Shiltina paused slightly in her words. “It’s because of that glorious deed that I’ve always regarded you as my role model… When I was young, my greatest dream was to become a hero like my mother, and like you, Senior.”

“In fact, even my decision to reject invitations from other noble academies and instead enroll at Starfall University… was heavily influenced by you.”

“But why, Senior, did you become what you are now?”

She slowly closed her eyes, as though fierce emotions were swelling inside.

“Conspiring with hidden organizations and cultists, helping them traffic people, carrying out blood sacrifices in cities—these rituals drenched in blood led directly to the deaths of tens of thousands of residents… and to conceal it, to silence witnesses for the noble houses and hidden organizations, you kept swinging the butcher’s knife at the innocent.”

“Senior, do you know how I felt when the Central Administration laid all your crimes before me? I wanted to deny it, but I couldn’t refute a single one under the weight of irrefutable evidence… do you know how much I couldn’t believe my eyes?”

“I couldn’t believe… that the senior I had always looked up to, the righteous and dignified Director of the Supervision Office, could commit such filthy, disgraceful acts.”

“Senior, when you were doing those things, did you truly never recall the glory and honor you earned as the hero who saved the nuclear plant?”

By nature, Shiltina was never one to waste words on her enemies…

Her usual style was to crush opponents head-on with the edge of her rapier—like her Sequence, the War Chariot, smashing through everything with unrelenting force.

It was easy to imagine how much she had once admired Ingrid as her senior—and how fierce her rage now was after that admiration had shattered.

“Of course I thought about it… Over the years, I’ve remembered countless times the moment when I was the emergency team leader, turning the valve eighty thousand times under lethal radiation after all my teammates had collapsed.”

“Back then, I had lost all sensation in my body, relying solely on my Night Blade ‘Black Iron’ to squeeze out the last drop of strength from my soul, like a machine endlessly turning that damned valve.”

In the face of Shiltina’s rage-suppressed interrogation, Ingrid’s gaze trembled slightly, but her tone remained calm.

“I often think now… if I had died in that nuclear plant back then, next to the melting reactor core, then there would be no Director Ingrid afterward.”

Ingrid gave a faint smile. “In that case, the name Ingrid… would have been remembered forever as a martyr of glory and justice, unsullied by anyone.”

“Not fallen as I am now—disgraced, petty, and hated by the world.”

“But I had no choice.”

Ingrid’s voice gradually turned cold. “Junior, do you know about my mother, and what happened to my hometown?”

“Of course.”

Shiltina responded quickly, though with a slight trace of confusion in her voice. “Two years ago, your hometown—that remote village in the Red Frost Territory—was destroyed in an unexplained Twilight Calamity.”

“And your mother, who refused to leave her hometown and live with you, also perished in that Twilight Calamity.”

“But that was an unforeseeable natural disaster… At the time, all known Nightworld entrances known to Starfall University showed no anomalies. It must have been one of the undiscovered Nightworlds reaching its time limit, resulting in an inexplicable calamity…”

“There’s no such thing as inexplicable Twilight Calamities.”

Ingrid spoke softly. “This isn’t the ancient era. With today’s technology, military satellites can scan the entire continent in real-time… If a normal new Nightworld entrance did appear, how could such an enormous energy fluctuation go unnoticed?”

“From beginning to end, all those Twilight Calamities that Starfall University couldn’t trace back to a source—those that seemed to appear out of nowhere—were all manmade.”

She continued in a low voice, “Not just the one that destroyed my hometown and killed my mother.”

“But also the one that descended on your hometown, the Autumnleaf Domain. The one that wiped out most of the Ranger family, forcing your mother Cecilia to die fighting the Flame Elemental Lord… that, too, was manmade.”

“At that time, the former emperor was critically ill. Your father, among all the crown princes, was the most capable and most likely to succeed the throne… and the mastermind behind the scenes deliberately timed the calamity to strike while your father had to go to the frontlines, forcing the Twilight Calamity to erupt in your mother’s territory.”

“That way, your father would face a terrible dilemma. If he chose to rescue his wife, the border defenses would falter due to the absence of a commanding officer, and he’d lose major ground in the succession battle—giving the conspirators a chance to push their own controlled candidate to the throne, even raising a puppet emperor to seize the entire kingdom for themselves.”

“But your father Allen actually chose to abandon his wife and rushed straight to the border, ruining their scheme.”

Shiltina’s delicate brows furrowed.

“Even so, that’s still no excuse for your crimes. If a real mastermind exists manipulating the Twilight Calamities from the shadows, then why not cooperate with Starfall University to fight them together…”

“I told you—I had no choice!”

Ingrid slowly lifted her gaze, meeting Shiltina’s eyes without backing down.

“She was my mother. My father died early—I had only her… She raised me through hardship, shielded me from all burdens, so that when my peers were working the fields, I didn’t have to be distracted by toil, and could focus on learning from the general textbook.”

“If not for her, I wouldn’t have left that nameless mountain village on the map, wouldn’t have qualified to take the entrance exams for Starfall University—I probably would’ve spent my life doing farm work or factory shifts, muddling through that nameless little town.”

“I fought with everything I had to climb higher, to earn merit, to gain power, to pursue happiness, to change my fate… Half of that was for my mother. I wanted her to live a better life. She never wanted to come to the Royal City, afraid she’d hinder my future. I tried to persuade her many times, but it was no use… I thought I’d find time later, but I never got the chance.”

“So when my mother died… avenging her became my greatest wish.”

She paused briefly.

“That mastermind is called the Gravekeepers. Their power far exceeds your imagination. They are a deeply hidden organization, seemingly inherited from earlier eras. They have their own Nightworld entrance and can even create Twilight Calamities in the Present World at will.”

“They possess terrifying foundations—enough to scorn the national strength of countries in the Present World. They even have methods to revive the dead… But due to certain limitations, their members cannot move freely in the world. To exert influence, they began recruiting agents in the Present World.”

“The ‘Bronze Rose’ and those hidden organizations, the empire’s great noble houses, the cult groups… they’re all their agents. Of course, that’s just a polite term. The reality is closer to pawns, dogs, disposable tools.”

Ingrid’s tone grew steadily more frigid.

“The one who caused my mother’s death was a noblewoman from the Imperial Capital connected to the Gravekeepers… At that time, she and I were competing for the position of Director of the Supervision Office, and she believed that using the power of the Gravekeepers to kill my mother would shatter my spirit, forcing me to withdraw from the race.”

“Hah, but she didn’t expect that after my mother’s death, I not only didn’t collapse, but poured myself wholly into the Military Department’s affairs, and became the youngest Director of the Supervision Office.”

“I knew that with only my strength, I could never fight against the entire alliance of interests backed by the Gravekeepers, composed of major noble houses, cult groups, and hidden organizations. Even if I cooperated with the royal family or Starfall University, my revenge would be forever out of reach. That noblewoman who killed my mother might walk away unscathed while I remained powerless.”

“So after that, I racked my brains and actively approached the Gravekeepers, becoming their collaborator.”

Ingrid’s eyes glinted with a biting chill. “White gloves, black gloves… it didn’t matter.”

“Be it trafficking, slave trading, assisting cult groups in blood sacrifices, or silencing innocents who accidentally learned about the Gravekeepers to preserve secrecy… all the dirty work those nobles could do for the Gravekeepers, I could do too. And I did it faster, cleaner, and without complaint.”

“Those cultists and nobles were always pulling strings, always asking for something in return for doing very little. But I was different. I asked for nothing. I demanded nothing—except the life of the noblewoman who murdered my mother.”

“When I proved my worth to the mastermind and became the most reliable pawn of the Gravekeepers, they finally granted my request.”

Her voice paused. “I still remember the day I got my revenge. That exalted countess collapsed to the ground, her gown soaked in filth, staring in disbelief as she was killed by the very backers she trusted most.”

“If you’ve already taken revenge, Senior, then why not turn back?”

“Return to Starfall University, and face the law.”

Shiltina’s voice remained unwavering. “With your prior merits and your heroic act in saving the nuclear plant… and if we include the intelligence you gathered on the Gravekeepers, it could offset much of your crimes.”

“Return?”

Ingrid’s voice faltered slightly, turning hoarse.

“Of course I want to go back. I dream about it.”

“But I know I can’t return.”

“I was the Director of the Supervision Office. I know exactly what crimes I’ve committed… what you’ve uncovered is just the tip of the iceberg. Unlike nobles and cult groups with vast networks and minions, I had only myself. The only value I could show was myself.”

“To earn the attention of the Gravekeepers, to kill my enemy, I did things more vile and filthy than any hidden organization or cult group. I became their most efficient pawn, committing every imaginable evil.”

A faint curve tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Without realizing it, the number of innocents I’ve killed already far exceeds—by several times, maybe even dozens of times—the number of civilians I saved as a soldier.”

“No heroism could ever atone for my crimes.”

Shiltina remained silent for a long while before finally speaking again. “At the very least, I can promise in the name of Starfall University that you will not be sentenced to death. That’s the best I can offer.”

“Heh heh—”

Ingrid laughed, louder now. “Not be executed… such magnanimous words.”

“To be stripped of all extraordinary power, imprisoned in the most heavily guarded prison in shackles made of anti-magic stone, sentenced to decades… no, considering my status as a high-tier extraordinary, likely hundreds of years.”

“If it were you, Junior, would you choose to lose everything and waste away in prison until your dying breath—or would you choose death?”

“If I committed a crime, I would absolutely face the law, regardless of the punishment.”

Shiltina’s reply held not the slightest hesitation.

“Of course you would. You’re that flawless swordswoman… lofty, radiant, like an apostle from the heavens gazing down upon the world—always righteous.”

Ingrid sighed softly.

“So, Shiltina, even if you say you saw me as a role model, as someone you wanted to become…”

“The truth is, I’ve always hated you.”

“Because from beginning to end, we were two completely different kinds of people—like birds and fish, never meant to meet. Our only intersection… is this moment where we must fight to the death to survive.”

Ingrid’s voice turned colder and colder.

She raised her left hand, gently touching the military uniform at her chest.

Woven with golden thread, the black eagle insignia was the symbol of the Granwell Kingdom’s Military Department—and the pride of Ingrid’s life.

“Shiltina, my junior… I did struggle.”

“I fought tooth and nail to enter Starfall University, risked my life on missions in the Military Department, because I wanted a life like yours. I wanted the power to change my fate.”

“I wanted to stand in the sunlight like you do, not hide in shadows and darkness. I wanted to gain happiness through effort, not through harm.”

“After losing an arm and surviving the nuclear plant accident, the day the Military Department awarded me the Black Eagle Medal… my dreams had become real.”

“I truly felt like I was basking in the sunlight, like I could pursue glory and dreams just like all of you favored by the heavens, risking everything for justice.”

“But the day I learned of my mother’s death… I knew there was no going back.”

“Glory and dreams, honor and brilliance… those things never belonged to me.”

“Even if I once drank in that radiance, it was never mine. It was always too far, too blinding to even gaze at—while for people like you, so easily within reach.”

Ingrid lowered her gaze and looked at her right hand.

“I struggled… but I lost.”

She slowly raised her right arm. It was a prosthetic made entirely of metal, glowing with a pale silver luster.

Ingrid’s Night Blade, “Black Iron”, allowed her to temporarily nullify pain, unlock her gene restraints, and extract power from the depths of her soul that was never hers to begin with.

But prolonged use of “Black Iron” caused irreversible and permanent damage to the soul.

In the nuclear plant accident, Ingrid completed an almost impossible mission—preventing a reactor core meltdown.

And the price she paid was that she kept “Black Iron” active for over half an hour, when it was only meant to be used for a single minute. That was how she achieved the miracle.

The overload cost her the soul connection to her right arm permanently. No alchemical potion or healing-type Night Blade could ever restore it.

The silvery metal prosthetic she wore was also a Crest Equipment.

Crest Equipment required compatibility. And for someone like Ingrid, whose talent and aptitude could only be described as average, there weren’t many items she could synchronize with. But this metal arm was highly compatible with her.

Its name was “Shining Silver Arm,” and it allowed Ingrid to manifest an imagined sword beyond the normal performance of Crest Equipment—but at the cost of devouring the wielder’s soul with each use.

Its cost was strikingly similar to Ingrid’s Night Blade, “Black Iron.” For ordinary people, the “Silver Arm” was a double-edged sword that harmed both enemy and user alike. But for Ingrid, paying the price of soul consumption was already second nature.

“Shiltina, to be frank, I really hate you… but deep down, I actually envy you. I even… feel jealous of you.”

Ingrid looked at Shiltina before her and spoke hoarsely. “You were born with everything—tremendous talent, a forbidden-grade super Night Blade, and your noble identity as the First Imperial Princess…”

“Moreover, the imperial Sacred Relic, the scabbard of the Holy Sword, is buried within your body by your father, isn’t it?”

“Since you’ve been acknowledged by the Holy Sword’s scabbard, then barring any surprises, the day you reach the Legendary Realm, you will be the wielder of the Holy Sword… the next Empress of the Empire.”

“Perhaps you don’t want to admit it, but in truth, Princess Ophelia’s image as the perfect royal princess was merely a smokescreen to hide you. From the very beginning, Allen’s chosen successor was always only one person.”

“That was what I longed for in my dreams, pursued my whole life without ever achieving. I dreamed of possessing all that… but you were born with it, and can even treat it all as if it were worthless.”

“Of course, those are merely external things.”

“What truly makes me envious, even jealous… is that someone like you, as proud and aloof as a swan, who should have been doomed to be alone, could still have someone like Rast as your companion.”

“From Rast, I felt something very similar to myself. He and I are the same kind of person… but he chose to stay by your side, to understand you, support you, help you, guard your back, and become your soulmate.”

“It’s maddeningly envious… Shiltina. So yes, I still hate you—from the bottom of my heart, I truly loathe you.”

“That’s why, between us, there must be a battle.”

“Since we are both Night Travelers, then we should resolve things in a way that belongs solely to Night Travelers.”

Ingrid flicked her finger, and a gem-like crystal arced through the air, which Shiltina caught in one swift motion.

Then, she slowly raised her silver-white metal right arm.

A pale silver brilliance shimmered upon the Silver Arm, taking form as an illusory imagined sword.

“Inside that information crystal is everything I’ve learned about the Gravekeepers and their lackey pawns. It should be of great value to the royal family.”

“Of course, that’s only if—”

“Shiltina, you can leave here alive.”

The next moment, the gleaming blade of mithril pierced through the ashen sky.

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