LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 366: The First Enemy
Although Jeremy felt somewhat downcast after witnessing the events earlier, he decided to continue his exploration of the capital.
For most of the day, Jeremy roamed several blocks around his place of residence. Each block contained a military barracks, but the condition of each barracks varied significantly. The only thing they had in common was that they were all in complete disarray.
This chaos only made Jeremy feel more disheartened.
"It seems that the people here in the capital really can't be relied upon! If the capital is attacked by a stronger enemy, I'll have no choice but to fight alone," Jeremy muttered to himself as he walked along the street.
At that moment, he suddenly felt the chilling sensation of someone watching him.
Jeremy's instinct kicked in, and he became slightly puzzled. He began scanning the surroundings, trying to locate the source of the cold gaze.
While doing so, Jeremy maintained his pace, pretending as though he was simply enjoying a leisurely walk.
It didn't take long before Jeremy pinpointed the location of the icy stare. The gaze was coming from the top floor of a nearby high-rise building.
At the same moment Jeremy identified the source of the stare, the person who had been watching him also realized that Jeremy had become aware of their presence.
In an instant, a flash of white light appeared at the top of the building, and a specially crafted bullet was shot directly toward Jeremy.
Without thinking, Jeremy instinctively activated his "King of Time and Space" ability.
Using the power of his ability, he successfully blinked backward a short distance, just enough to avoid the bullet's trajectory.
As he dodged the bullet, Jeremy quickly opened a portal, which led directly to the top floor of the building he had just identified.
Without hesitation, Jeremy stepped into the portal and emerged instantly at the top of the high-rise.
However, as soon as Jeremy entered, the heavy door to the building's top floor slammed shut behind him.
It was then that Jeremy realized he had fallen into a trap.
The bullet that had been fired at him earlier was merely a distraction, designed to draw his attention. In reality, Jeremy's true enemy had been lying in wait on the top floor of the building all along.
To make matters worse, there was a powerful enchantment on the top floor that could suppress Jeremy's "King of Time and Space" ability.
"It seems that the first enemy I've encountered in the capital is actually quite intelligent. You managed to tap into my curiosity and set such a trap for me. But I don't think you'll succeed. On the contrary, your actions will only lead you to a fate from which there is no escape," Jeremy said with a smile.
Although Jeremy had yet to figure out exactly where his enemy was hiding, he was certain that the person was somewhere nearby.
As soon as Jeremy finished speaking, he suddenly felt the space around him begin to shift violently.
Two massive hands materialized out of the void, each radiating with immense solar power. The blinding sunlight enveloped Jeremy, the heat from the sun scorching him like a furnace.
In that moment, Jeremy knew exactly who was behind the attack.
The person who had set this trap and launched the attack on Jeremy was none other than The Person in the Mirror.
The Person in the Mirror had been working relentlessly to revive the Sun. And since it was Jeremy who had caused the Sun to fall, he had become a thorn in The Person in the Mirror's side. This was why The Person in the Mirror had been targeting Jeremy all along.
The reason they hadn't succeeded before was that Jeremy had spent so much time in Moonlight City. The Person in the Mirror didn't have much power there. Most of The Person in the Mirror's forces were concentrated in the capital.
Once Jeremy had pieced together the identity of his enemy, he knew exactly what he had to do.
He immediately drew out Mortal Combat, a powerful tool in his arsenal.
But rather than aiming Mortal Combat at the two enormous hands, Jeremy pointed it directly at the sun in the sky.
"I know where you're hiding! There's no need for you to stay concealed any longer. I'm about to force you into a duel!" Jeremy declared.
With those words, he activated Mortal Combat.
As the special space created by Mortal Combat took shape, a figure suddenly materialized in the sky, right where the sun's light had been.
This figure was one of The Person in the Mirror's own, though this particular individual was far from being a powerful foe.
Not only was this person incapable of defeating Jeremy in a duel, but they were also unable to buy enough time to delay Jeremy's inevitable victory.
Inside the special space of Mortal Combat, Jeremy refrained from immediately attacking his opponent.
Instead, he chose to hold back, hoping to extract more information from them before the battle fully commenced.
"You must know that you're no match for me!" Jeremy said with a smile, his gaze fixed on The Person in the Mirror. "If you want me to spare you, then you'll have to provide me with enough information."
Not far from Jeremy, The Person in the Mirror glared at him with intense hatred, eyes filled with malice.
"Don't even think that I'll give you any information!" The Person in the Mirror spat, his voice venomous. "You, who caused the great deity to fall, you will surely face a curse! When the great deity is resurrected, it will make sure that you die without a grave to be buried in!"
At the mention of the curse, Jeremy only smiled faintly, his expression calm.
"If curses could really make me pay a price, I'd have died a hundred times over by now," Jeremy said with a slight chuckle. "Your curse means nothing to me. But I will respond to it, nonetheless."
No sooner had Jeremy's words finished echoing in the air than the space around The Person in the Mirror began to collapse rapidly.
A horrific scream of pain erupted from The Person in the Mirror, his body writhing as the collapsing space crushed him from all sides.
As the space continued to disintegrate, the form of The Person in the Mirror was mercilessly torn apart by the collapsing void.
However, Jeremy did not completely annihilate The Person in the Mirror.
After forcing the enemy to pay a sufficient price and subjecting him to intense suffering, Jeremy paused. He looked down at the crumpled figure of The Person in the Mirror and asked again, his voice cold.
"Are you still unwilling to give me enough information? If you continue to give me the same answer as before, the pain you'll experience next will be far worse than what you've already felt."
Jeremy's threat was unmistakably clear.
This time, The Person in the Mirror did not try to hold out. His voice, though trembling, still carried an edge of defiance as he responded, "Even if you can defeat me, you will never defeat the great Son of the Sun! The Son of the Sun is the descendant of the deity! He, along with our allies among the humans, will make sure that you are erased without a trace!"
Although The Person in the Mirror's voice trembled, and his words were laced with malice toward Jeremy, he had inadvertently revealed a significant amount of information.
Jeremy stood still for a moment, processing the words carefully.
The enemy's attitude was far from cooperative, but the information he had provided was invaluable.
Jeremy considered the possible reasons for The Person in the Mirror's words. There were two main possibilities.
The first, of course, was that The Person in the Mirror wasn't particularly bright. He still held onto his hatred for Jeremy, but in his spite, he had unintentionally revealed crucial details.
But Jeremy dismissed this explanation quickly. He knew The Person in the Mirror was not a fool. The truth was, this was more likely a carefully calculated move—perhaps the enemy was under some kind of pressure or had no other option but to divulge what he knew.
Jeremy knew that The Person in the Mirror had just given him a lead, one that could potentially unlock more answers, but for now, he needed to decide on his next move.
Since The Person in the Mirror had managed to set a trap for him and ambush him here, it was clear that the enemy's intelligence couldn't possibly be low. This led Jeremy to fully believe the second possibility he had considered.
The second possibility was that every move The Person in the Mirror made was being closely monitored by someone else. This meant that the only way the enemy could provide Jeremy with information was through this indirect method.
Jeremy wasn't concerned with how The Person in the Mirror provided the information, as long as he got what he needed. To Jeremy, the only thing that mattered at the moment was acquiring enough intelligence to make informed decisions.
"Do you really believe you have such powerful forces?" Jeremy asked, following up on the information The Person in the Mirror had provided. "I'm not sure about the strength of the Son of the Sun, but I'm starting to think that the humans here in the capital aren't as powerful as you all claim. Are your allies the military headquarters?"
When The Person in the Mirror heard Jeremy's question, a surge of satisfaction filled him. He believed that Jeremy had finally grasped his true intentions. So, he continued speaking, using the same tone as before: "Don't keep shouting! Our human allies aren't the military headquarters! Our allies are—"
However, before he could finish his sentence, The Person in the Mirror abruptly stopped talking. A chilling realization washed over him: he could no longer speak at all.
After struggling for a moment, The Person in the Mirror suddenly felt a searing, unbearable pain. His body was beginning to melt, as if some force was dissolving him from the inside out.
At the same time, Jeremy felt an overwhelming surge of solar power—so powerful that it almost felt like he was being consumed by it.
Although Jeremy had acted immediately when The Person in the Mirror began to show signs of distress, he wasn't able to save his enemy in time. He could only helplessly watch as The Person in the Mirror's body melted away at an accelerated rate.
"It seems that the rest of The Person in the Mirror and the Son of the Sun had already made all their preparations. There's no way I can get any more information from him now. And the longer I stay out here, the more danger I'll face."
Jeremy muttered these words to himself as he turned to leave. He knew that he needed to return to his residence. At least there, he would have the protection of the military headquarters and the various factions within the capital. These factions' eyes and ears would ensure that Jeremy wouldn't easily fall victim to the forces orchestrating the Apocalypse Game.
As Jeremy made his way back to his residence, he was taken by surprise when he found Bonnie already waiting in his room.
"You're finally back! So, how was it? Was the capital much better than you thought?" Bonnie greeted him with a warm smile.
Jeremy didn't respond right away. Instead, he asked, his voice calm and even, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at the hospital?"
"I'm fully recovered!" Bonnie replied cheerfully. "The doctor said I'm good to go. I've already been discharged!"