Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1841: Lies After Lies… Fake After Fake… Always From Behind.

The entire chamber was unlike any other chamber he had encountered inside the tower.

Displays covered nearly every wall, while enormous control systems occupied the room, continuously processing streams of information.

Yet, no technicians were monitoring the systems, no soldiers guarding the entrances, and no commander standing before the central consoles.

Except for only two invaders who remained inside the command centre of Zeta.

Jonathan stood several meters away from Allen, gripping his weapon tightly as red particles circulated through the barrel.

The nozzle remained pointed directly at Allen’s head.

Allen was still on the floor, his breathing uneven as he stared at the weapon aimed toward him.

“You fucking piece of shit! Die, Motherfucker!!”

BOOM!

No, it’s not from Jonathan’s weapon.

Something struck him from behind with such tremendous force that his entire body was launched forward before he could even understand what had happened.

“Ghhk!”

His feet left the ground, his weapon slipped from his hand, and his armoured body crashed violently against the opposite wall.

For several seconds, his vision became nothing more than blurred shapes and flickering lights.

Jonathan pressed one trembling hand against the floor and forced himself upward.

Before he could fully stand, however, he noticed someone standing in front of him.

Jonathan slowly raised his head.

Young Aether stood there.

Jonathan blinked several times, then Jonathan noticed Aether’s left hand.

Jonathan’s expression immediately changed.

“What happened to your left hand? Are you alright?”

His voice carried so much worry that Aether briefly frowned.

Aether stared at him for several seconds before asking coldly, “What are you about to do, Allen?”

Jonathan’s entire body stiffened when he heard the name.

“I-I wasn’t trying to harm him…!” Jonathan hurriedly explained as he swallowed against the dryness in his throat.

“He was the one who went after me first, and he tried to harm me before I even had a chance to understand what was happening!”

Jonathan pointed toward Allen while desperately maintaining his gaze on Aether.

“Aether, he is trying to frame me now! I swear that I wasn’t trying to kill him!”

Young Aether remained completely silent as he stared at Jonathan.

After several seconds, his eyes shifted toward Allen.

Allen was still lying on the floor, and he seemed completely lost regarding what had happened between them, holding his stomach in pain.

Aether slowly looked back at Jonathan.

“Jonny, I already know that this entire situation is a trap.”

Jonathan’s expression froze.

“What are you talking about? Trap?”

Young Aether gave a hollow laugh as he slowly approached him.

“Oh, please, bitch. Do you honestly think I am foolish enough to believe everything you say?”

Jonathan instinctively pressed his back against the wall.

Aether leaned slightly closer, his eyes remaining fixed upon Jonathan’s face.

“I fucking know that this entire thing was your plan from the beginning, and I deliberately walked into it because I wanted to discover what you were actually trying to accomplish.”

Jonathan remained silent.

Aether slowly turned his head toward the enormous control system.

His expression became increasingly serious as he examined the countless surveillance feeds displayed across the surrounding screens.

“We are standing inside the fucking heart of Zeta City, where the security should be so heavily controlled that entering this place without authorisation should be practically impossible.”

He turned his attention back toward Jonathan.

“Yet somehow, we simply walked into this tower and reached the top floor without encountering any meaningful resistance whatsoever.”

Aether continued speaking before he could interrupt.

“Not a single soldier properly stopped us, and not even one security drone managed to intercept our movement through the tower.”

He gestured toward the enormous chamber surrounding them.

“Beta had thousands of soldiers stationed throughout this tower, so why are there barely a hundred soldiers protecting this entire section now?”

“That isn’t merely suspicious, Jonny, because the difference is far too fucking obvious.”

Jonathan remained silent for several seconds.

Then his expression suddenly changed as though he had only just realised what Aether was talking about.

“O-Oh… right, yeah, man.”

Jonathan gave an awkward laugh while scratching the side of his helmet.

“This really was way too easy when you think about it.”

He paused for a moment before looking directly at Aether.

“But wait, how the hell do you know about Beta?”

Aether stared at Jonathan without saying anything.

Jonathan waited for an answer.

Instead of answering immediately, Aether slowly crouched until his face was level with Jonathan’s.

His damaged hand hung beside him.

Jonathan’s eyes briefly moved toward the injury before returning to Aether’s face.

“Jonny, I have to admit that I was genuinely impressed by your performance.”

Jonathan frowned.

“I don’t understand what you mean by that.”

“You played your part well enough that I never questioned your behaviour until Allen appeared.”

“You made yourself look angry whenever the situation demanded it, and you made yourself appear frightened and worried whenever you thought I might become suspicious.”

Aether’s voice became quieter as he continued.

“You even managed to look genuinely concerned when you noticed what happened to my hand, and for a moment, I almost believed that reaction was completely natural.”

Jonathan stared at him.

“But eventually, your performance started becoming too perfect.”

Aether tightened his grip around his Eclipse weapon.

The edges of the weapon caught the cold light from the surrounding displays and produced a faint metallic shimmer that made Jonathan’s eyes instinctively follow it.

“You acting… too perfect!”

Jonathan slowly shook his head.

“You’re seriously misunderstanding me, Aether.”

Aether continued staring at him.

“Perhaps I am, but there is one problem with your story.”

Jonathan swallowed.

“You keep trying to control where everyone’s attention goes.”

Jonathan’s expression became slightly more rigid.

He leaned closer.

“That technique might have worked on me earlier, but it will not continue saving your ass forever.”

Jonathan remained silent.

Aether slowly raised his Eclipse weapon.

“Just tell me the truth.”

His expression remained cold, but his voice carried something deeper beneath the anger.

“I am giving you one final chance because you are still my friend. As your friend, I will let everything that happened here slide if you stop lying to me and tell me what you are really doing.”

Jonathan’s face showed genuine confusion.

“What the hell are you talking about, man?”

He slowly raised both hands, trying to show that he had no intention of attacking.

“What do you mean when you say that I am acting? I genuinely don’t understand what you are accusing me of doing.”

The metal plates around Jonathan’s helmet shifted apart, revealing more of his face beneath the armour.

His expression appeared confused rather than hostile.

“Okay, I am sorry if I overreacted earlier, but you have to understand why I became angry.”

Jonathan pointed toward Allen again.

“He was the one who pissed me off in the first place, and this entire situation would never have happened if he hadn’t started acting like a fucking smarty-pants.”

Jonathan turned his head and gave Allen another furious glare.

“You were the one who started this shit, so don’t sit there pretending that you have no idea what happened. And because of this asshole, Maiuri was dead!”

Allen opened his mouth, but no words came out.

He looked toward Aether instead, silently searching for some indication that Aether believed him.

Aether noticed the look.

Then he looked back toward Jonathan.

Something about the situation still bothered him.

Young Aether frowned as he stared at Jonathan. The anger in his eyes had not faded, but beneath it was something far more complicated, something that refused to let him accept the explanation Jonathan had given him.

“Still blaming the man who lost his family. Yeah… it still isn’t making any sense. Tell me the truth, Jonny. Why was your friend, Commander 3, waiting for me in another chamber? Hmm?”

Jonathan blinked in genuine surprise.

“Commander 3? Was he here too?”

“…”

Young Aether remained silent as he studied Jonathan’s expression, searching for even the smallest indication that he was lying. Instead, he saw what appeared to be genuine confusion.

Slowly, Aether shook his head in disappointment.

He reached down and placed his Eclipse weapon back into its slot before closing his right hand into a tight fist.

The muscles in his arm tensed as he stared at Jonathan with an expression that had become almost devoid of emotion.

“Even after getting caught, you still have the nerve to keep acting?”

Aether’s fist slammed directly into his chest plate.

TANG!

Jonathan’s entire body jerked backwards.

“Aether, stop it!”

Aether didn’t answer.

He struck him again.

TANG!

“Aether! Listen to me first!”

TANG!

“Aether…”

TANG!

“Arhh!”

Jonathan barely had time to breathe before Aether’s fist slammed into his face.

For a moment, everything around Jonathan became blurred and distant. His ears rang from the force, while warmth began spreading across his upper lip.

Aether stared at him with his breathing becoming increasingly heavy.

“Jonny, don’t… don’t test my patience.”

Jonathan slowly lifted his head.

“Just hand over Lily.”

Jonathan’s expression weakened immediately.

“Aether… ah… Aether, I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

His voice trembled as he struggled to steady himself.

“I… I just wanted to protect you, man. Why would I hurt all of you, including my wife? Why would I do that?”

The last question came out almost painfully.

Young Aether’s frown deepened.

“That’s what makes me confused.”

He stared directly into Jonathan’s eyes.

“Why would you kill your own wife?”

Jonathan’s lips parted, but no answer came… Why the hell was this bastard not believing him?

“Tell me the truth, Jonny.”

Young Aether’s voice became quieter. “What is the point of all this? What do you actually want?”

“Is it me?”

“Or… is it Lily?”

Jonathan blinked several times.

“Aether…I-I really don’t understand.”

His voice sounded exhausted now.

“Why don’t you suddenly believe me anymore? None of this makes any sense.”

His eyes moved toward Allen, who was still lying on the floor several meters away.

Jonathan’s expression immediately hardened.

“Unless…”

His gaze locked onto Allen.

“Did that fucking asshole tell you something?”

Jonathan’s breathing became heavier as anger slowly replaced his confusion.

“I knew it. That son of a bitch has been manipulating you this entire time! Instead of telling the truth, he blamed me”

Jonathan suddenly turned back toward Aether.

“He’s filling your head with lies, Aether! You have to listen to me before you—”

Aether grabbed him.

The next instant, Jonathan’s entire body was thrown violently across the chamber.

BOOM!

His back crashed into the central control system, and several panels shattered beneath the impact. Sparks erupted from the damaged machinery as Jonathan’s body slid downward, leaving a faint trail of blood across the metal.

Before he could recover, Aether was already standing over him.

“Tell me why you killed the child!”

His fist slammed into Jonathan’s face.

Thud!

Jonathan’s head snapped backwards as blood immediately burst from his nose.

His eyes watered as he struggled to breathe, his vision becoming blurred beneath the tears gathering in his eyes.

“A-Aether… I…”

Blood ran over his lips.

“I really didn’t do anything… Please… I didn’t…”

Aether clenched his fist again.

“Jonny…”

His voice trembled slightly.

“I… I really don’t understand what you wanted.”

He stared down at the man who had once been his friend.

“Is this revenge for the lives I took? If that’s what this is, then I understand. I came after you, and I know I have taken lives that can never be returned.”

His breathing became heavier.

“And… I understand that you came after me. I understand that you planned all of this.”

Aether grabbed the front of Jonathan’s suit.

“But killing Noah?”

His eyes hardened.

“And taking Lily?”

“What the fuck do you want from me?”

Jonathan’s lips trembled.

He couldn’t seem to understand why Aether was asking him these questions.

SLCCK!

Aether’s fist struck his face again.

The impact split the corner of Jonathan’s mouth, and a sharp crack followed as one of his teeth was knocked loose and flew across the floor.

“Arhh!”

His breathing became ragged as blood dripped from his mouth onto the metal beneath him.

Yet even after everything, Jonathan slowly raised his head again.

A weak smile appeared across his bloodied face.

“I want nothing…”

His voice was barely above a whisper.

“W-Why are you doing this? Why don’t you believe me?”

For a second, Young Aether hesitated.

His fist remained raised, but he couldn’t bring himself to strike again.

Something inside him questioned what he was doing.

What if Jonathan was telling the truth?

What if he had misunderstood everything?

The thought struck Young Aether with enough force to make his anger falter.

His breathing slowed.

His eyes remained fixed on Jonathan’s bloodied face.

For the first time since the confrontation began, Young Aether wondered whether he had finally crossed a line that could never be undone.

Then Lily’s words echoed in his head like a curse… her cries… her pain.

His hesitation vanished.

Young Aether clenched his fist again.

“Lily told me everything, Jonny.”

Jonathan’s weak smile disappeared. “Huh?”

Young Aether’s voice became cold.

“She told me how you lusted after her like a fucking pig.”

Jonathan’s eyes widened.

“Aether, wait—”

Young Aether’s fist struck his face.

CRACK!

Jonathan’s head snapped sideways.

Before he could recover, another punch followed.

Then another.

And another.

Each impact drove Jonathan deeper against the damaged control system as sparks erupted around his body.

SLCCK!

“Arrh!”

SLCCK!

“Ar!”

SLCCK!

“Arrhhhh!”

Within a matter of seconds, Jonathan’s entire face was covered in blood and bruises, with swollen skin forming beneath his eyes and around his broken lips. Blood continued flowing from his nose and mouth, staining the lower portion of his armour, yet despite the relentless assault, he never once raised his hands to defend himself.

He never attacked Young Aether.

He never tried to block another punch.

He simply endured every blow as though defending himself against the person standing before him was something he could not bring himself to do.

“Ha… Ha…”

His vision had become increasingly blurred because blood had reached his eyes, forcing him to blink repeatedly while he stared at the only friend he had left.

The person he trusted more than anyone else in the world was standing directly in front of him.

And that person didn’t believe him.

The realisation hurt Jonathan more deeply than every punch that had struck his body.

“I… I… am… so… sorry…”

His voice trembled as he struggled to speak through his swollen lips.

“B-But I… I didn’t hurt her. Only touched her, friendly but… that’s all.”

Young Aether stared coldly at him for several seconds. “Friendly?”

Then, without saying anything, he pulled out a healing potion.

Jonathan barely had time to understand what he was doing before Aether poured the liquid directly across his bloodied face.

SPLASHHH~

The potion spread across Jonathan’s wounds, producing a faint glow as the damaged flesh began rapidly regenerating. The swelling disappeared, the blood faded from his skin, and the cuts across his face slowly closed until almost nothing remained.

Jonathan blinked several times.

He touched his face in disbelief before looking at Aether.

“D-Do you believe me now?”

Young Aether’s expression didn’t change.

“Tell me why you assaulted Lily.”

Jonathan’s expression immediately stiffened.

“Why?”

He remembered Lily’s trembling voice when she had finally opened her heart to him.

He remembered the way she had cried while describing what had happened, and the helplessness in her expression as she struggled to explain something she should never have been forced to experience.

Young Aether’s fingers slowly clenched tighter… but then suddenly the child appeared right behind fallen Jonathan.

The child stared at him with ice blue eyes.

Young Aether trembled slightly as he averted his eyes and focused on Jonathan.

“Why did you do that to her?”

Jonathan flinched.

His head slowly lowered.

He didn’t answer.

That single reaction made Aether’s expression darken.

Jonathan looked as though he were ashamed.

As though those accusations were true.

Young Aether stared at him in disbelief.

“So you really did it?”

His voice trembled with disgust.

“You lusted after a child?”

Jonathan’s shoulders shook.

“Your own friend’s child?”

Young Aether’s expression twisted with genuine revulsion.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“A-Aether…”

Jonathan’s voice cracked.

“P-Please, buddy.”

He struggled to raise his head.

“I-I know I am wrong, but I really didn’t want to be like this.”

His eyes filled with tears.

“I-I just…”

Jonathan desperately searched for something he could say, some explanation that would make Young Aether understand him, but every sentence seemed meaningless beneath his dead glare.

“I… I don’t even know how to explain this to you.”

Young Aether gave a bitter snort.

“Then don’t explain it.”

He grabbed Jonathan by the throat.

Jonathan’s eyes widened as Young Aether’s fingers tightened around his neck and lifted him from the ground.

His boots slowly left the metallic floor.

“First, tell me where Lily is.”

Jonathan immediately began trembling.

“I-I didn’t…”

His hands instinctively grabbed Aether’s wrist.

“I didn’t know where she was. I really didn’t know, Aether. Please believe me.”

Tears began rolling continuously down Jonathan’s cheeks.

“P-please…grk..”

His fingers trembled against Aether’s arm.

Young Aether… really trembled there seeing his friend’s tears; he felt really wrong, but… this was something he needed to do it.

Whenever he hurt him, it felt as though he were hurting a part of himself. That was how deeply he had valued their friendship.

And in fact, Young Aether believed he was only being a good friend. He wanted to punish his friend for his mistake, to make him understand where he had gone wrong so that nobody would ever be hurt because of him again.

In Aether’s mind, whatever the reason behind Jonathan’s actions, Aether had done what a true friend was supposed to do. He had confronted him, punished him, and tried to guide him toward becoming a better person. But for that to happen…

He needed to understand what the fuck was going on here!

“Believe you? You want me to believe you after everything you’ve done? Should I believe you the same way I believed your story about the Governor? Tell me who is behind you? You aren’t capable of this, involving Beta? No! I fucking knew you, Jonathan. Tell me who is behind all of this…”

Jonathan’s face began turning pale.

Yes, Young Aether felt there was someone else playing in this game… Someone capable of influencing him.

Who could it be?

“Tell me where she is and who is behind all of this? TELL ME!!”

Aether lifted him higher.

Jonathan’s vision began fading around the edges.

His lungs burned desperately for air as his fingers weakened around Aether’s wrist.

His eyes slowly rolled upward as consciousness began slipping away. Jonathan suddenly jerked his head upward.

“B…eh…ind…”

Aether frowned.

“What?—!!”

CHUCKK!

Aether’s eyes suddenly widened; he slowly looked down and… saw a thick metallic rod had emerged through the front of his chest.

His fingers loosened around Jonathan’s throat.

Then he slowly turned his head.

Behind him stood… Allen.

Allen’s head was lowered, his expression hidden beneath the shadow cast across his face. Both hands were wrapped around the other end of the metallic rod as he pushed it deeper through Aether’s chest.

“You were never supposed to survive the first time.”

Allen’s voice was completely cold as he pushed the metal rod deeper.

Aether’s body violently trembled.

His fingers finally released Jonathan.

Jonathan immediately collapsed to the floor, coughing violently as he desperately dragged air back into his lungs.

“COUGH! COUGH!”

He rolled onto his side, clutching his throat while struggling to breathe.

Then he looked up.

His eyes widened in horror.

“AETHER!!!!!!”

!~Ding~!

…””

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

…””