Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 659 The Real Ambition!
"How...how did you kill her? As far as I know, Shaneva was also a high-ranking professional. Her ancestors were descendants of the nobles of Castard, and she was even 'Nova Yurik' of the 'Seven Supreme Magic Source Committee,' not an unarmed ordinary human. Even if we could strike him at the Extraordinary level, he still had so many ability users and elite soldiers around him." Dark, abandoning his previous composure, suddenly looked surprised and intrigued, picked up a chair, took a few steps forward, sat down beside Wright's bed, and asked for the specific details.

"The leaders of the 'Dedication Group,' 'Blood Wolf,' 'Restorer,' 'Flame Offering,' and 'Dark Offering' told me the truth about how the Federation raised me, and incidentally, they also told me that they killed Mikhail and most of Shaneva's personal guard. So when I met Shaneva, she was all alone." Wright scratched his head, slapped his mouth, and yawned, as if he were talking about someone else's story.

Then, he picked up the glass that Dak had handed him, filled it with filtered water from the thermos on the table, drank it all in one gulp, coughed forcefully several times, and only after feeling a little better did he continue:

"By the way, 'Blood Wolf' told me something that shocked me: your close friend Wolfia definitely knows that I am the 'monster' that the Federation Council has been cultivating for thirty years. After all, he is Commander Vasily's illegitimate son."

“I understand that, but Wolfya did mention the matter of raising ‘monsters’ before he died. He said the monster he raised was me.” Dark’s eyes suddenly rolled around in their sockets as he realized the crux of the matter:
"Could it be that the Federal Council actually wants to cultivate two absolutely opposing 'monsters,' one 'in the light' and one 'in the dark,' yet with intertwined fates? In this way, they can do whatever they want under absolute balance?"

"Perhaps," Wright sighed softly, speaking in a slightly clearer voice than before:
“They need an Orderer summoned from another world with a high affinity for red magic power, and even more so, a Disruptor who has undergone various extraordinary missions and training and was once a true ‘monster’. The mission that summoned me is called ‘Seeker of Light’, but these past few days I’ve been thinking, are you, Dark Tiris, also one of the ‘Seeker of Light’’s’ experiments?”

"How so?" Dark asked curiously.

Since learning the truth about the wasteland and rescuing Wright from the "Red Illusion Ruins," coupled with the deaths of Wolfia and a series of others who knew his past in detail, he had lost interest in the past and wanted to gradually forget it and look forward.

But now, Shaneva is dead, and the Federation will soon descend into chaos and then disintegrate. For the Crusaders, and the great Crusad nation, a catastrophe comparable to the "New Era Crisis"... no, a catastrophe far more severe than the "New Era Crisis" is about to strike.

Some secrets, if not uncovered soon, may truly remain secrets forever.

Thinking of this, seeing Wright still scratching his head trying to remember, Dark suddenly grabbed Wright's hand and said in as pleading a tone as possible:

“Tell me as much truth as you know, okay, Wright? It’s important to me. I might be able to keep going with these doubts, but carrying the confusion of identities will prevent me from reaching the destination we long for.”

“I understand.” Wright nodded slightly and explained:
"'Blood Wolf' told me that Mikhail said that during the third 'Seeker of Light' ritual called 'The Craving of Machines,' they summoned a black-haired, gray-eyed boy from another dimension. That boy briefly fused with red magical energy, but because he produced the 'KR:032' antibody, a power opposed to fire was generated, namely 'dark magical energy manifested as water.'"

“The then-governor, Viking Vladimir, the leader of the Crusaders, was furious. He believed that the experiment had created dangerous byproducts, so he ordered the boy to be injected with the ‘Heartless Virus’ and then exiled to the South Yu Swamp to fend for himself.”

"Time, when was this experiment? Approximately what year was it? Which year was it in, Viking commander's command?" Dark suddenly grabbed the collar of Wright's army green shirt and pulled hard, asking:
“I remember it was around 522 New Era. As for the specifics… ‘Blood Wolf’ told me that we might have to go to Nabsk to find out. It’s said that Vasily left a batch of confidential federal documents there after discovering the ‘Shape Evolution Platform’.”

"During the time when Nebrius and Shaneva were at war, Commander Nebrius had ordered all the classified documents to be secretly stolen and moved to an old church in Nebsk. He originally intended to use these classified documents to threaten Shaneva, but he underestimated Shaneva's cruelty and ambition."

“In the year 522 of the New Era…” Dark gradually loosened his grip on his collar, carefully recalling the information Wright had just recounted. He shook his head, sighed slightly, and said:
"Perhaps the 'failed experiment' mentioned is me, or perhaps not. We'll have to wait until we get to Nebusk to investigate. However, Yadaloni, Hoshino Shota, and I are staying in Torii Town... partly because it's a small settlement of people with Khitan-Lis blood, which can help us learn a lot about that area."

"On the other hand, we left in a hurry and didn't carry enough food, medicine, and weapons, so we have to come here to replenish them. Plus, our mechanized tank broke down halfway, so it probably won't last us until we reach Nebsk. But then again, Wright, how exactly did you kill Shaneva?"

When Darker steered the conversation back on track, Wright no longer concealed anything and answered in detail:
"I was outside Belogersk when the 'Dedication Group' dropped the last 'Restricted Heavenly Punishment Flame'. After the mushroom cloud dissipated, I came to the city center. I originally wanted to retrieve the 'Mad Bear' pistol that Shaneva had taken away. It was the first weapon I had when I came to this world."

"However, I didn't see any guns on the 'residential level,' but instead heard groans coming from the nearby square."

"Was that Shaneva's moan?" Dak pressed, his face full of curiosity.

“Of course.” Wright nodded slightly and continued:
"The previous war caused Shaneva to lose a large number of superhumans and Federation [warriors], and this 'Heavenly Punishment Fire' completely sent everyone around her to hell. If it weren't for the magical power within Shaneva, she probably wouldn't have survived this explosion."

"So when I got to her, she was all alone. I thought that if Shaneva had asked me for help or agreed to some of my requests, I would have saved her, or at least taken her to the military base before leaving. But her pride and arrogance as the leader of the Federation made me realize that a dead leader is far better than a living one."

“That’s for sure,” Dark analyzed.

"Since you are a monster that the Federal Council has nurtured for thirty years, in Shaneva's eyes you are just a tool, at best a pet, a perfect work of art. She can offer you any benefit within her authority, but you cannot ask for it."

“If you ask a leader with absolute power for something, she will feel her authority has been challenged, she will become angry, and then lose her temper.” “Yes, almost exactly what you said.” Wright nodded heavily, muttering to himself, and continued:

"Not only did she not respond to my request, but she also gave me a good scolding. The main thing was that she insisted that I kill her, that I bite off her neck with my teeth, saying that this would turn me into a real monster. Of course, I wouldn't do such a thing, so I picked up her favorite dagger, 'Silence,' and stabbed her in the heart with my own hands. By the way, she proudly told the people around her that she used this dagger to stab her irresponsible, stupid, incompetent, irritable, and crazy father."

"She used her most beloved dagger to stab her most hated father, yet she died because of the same dagger. How ironic," Dark sneered.

"The one who started this mess will surely have no descendants. The philosophy of the Khitans is enough for us to study for generations. But, Wright, have you considered the chaos that killing Shaneva will cause?"

“No. But it doesn’t matter anymore. Since Shaneva can issue an order that all surrenders will not be accepted and that rebels, even ordinary citizens of Nebusk, must die with Nebrius, then she is not qualified to continue as the leader of Crusd, and the Crusd Federation is destined to come to an end.” Wright said very clearly:

"Anyway, we won't stay here to organize forces to fight against the 'heartless' and the lost to restore human civilization. The Genie and the Crusaders are all hopeless clowns."

"Heh, yeah, they're all hopeless clowns." Dark looked thoughtfully at the long night and starry sky outside the window and sighed.

"Um, Dark, I wasn't talking about you." Realizing he had misspoke, Wright quickly stood up, ready to explain.

But the next second he fell off the bed, but fortunately, the "Hate Skin" granted Darke strength comparable to a Hercules, and he easily carried Wright back to bed, comforting him:
“I am not blaming you. On the contrary, I think you are right. The task of restoring human civilization cannot be entrusted to insects like the Crusaders and the Genie, nor can it be entrusted to conservatives like the Khitanris, much less to the Central Peoples and the Putoa, these forces that are barely clinging to life.”

"The future of the world should be in your and my hands."

"The future of the world?" Wright repeated, but he wasn't surprised. Instead, a "I see" smile appeared on his lips. He didn't rush to express his opinion to Dark, but listened carefully to Dark's views.

"The future of the world lies in the existence of humanity and the continuation of civilization. This may be the true mission and purpose of our awakening in the wasteland era. You are the Order Keeper, and I am the Chaos Instigator whose fate is intertwined with yours. This is the design of the Creator, the mission bestowed upon us by the Creator and the gods."

“I share your ambitions. Indeed, the Genesis Empire and the Crusad Federation are on the verge of collapse, and we can only rely on the power of the Flame Empire. However, we haven’t even been to the east yet,” Wright said, expressing his concerns.

“That’s not a problem. Everywhere respects the strong. Even if the Khitans don’t let us into the core region, I think we can gradually build a legion and establish a country with our own strength. In the end, we can liberate all the territories contaminated by the ‘heartless’ and the lost, and unify the whole world.” Dark grabbed Wright’s shoulders and shook him hard, speaking in an exceptionally seductive tone.

Originally, this level of linguistic seduction, even with the addition of "charm" or "seduction" skills, would have no effect on a human like Wright who possesses absolute mental power.

However, Dark's words captured Wright's heart, and at this moment, the ambition and desire that had been building up in his heart began to swell rapidly. He remembered the dream that the false god had led him into in the town of Migov in the German Empire, and he also remembered his "ideals" of becoming the Wasteland Echoer, the terminator of the Third Era, and the initiator of the Star Era.

His throat tightened, and his semi-mechanical heart pounded in unison with Dak's. A phantom scepter of mechanical and technological power flashed before his eyes. Wright reached out to touch it, but just as his fingertips were about to touch it, it vanished amidst Dak's exciting words:
"This is not difficult. Currently, apart from the gods, our magical energy levels are among the top on the continent. If the magical energy of the Khitan Ris people does not develop on a large scale, we can establish our own organization based on our status as the 'strongest'."

"Even though in the past, we were pushed along by fate for various reasons and swept along by a series of clownish characters, now that the Cruz Federation is about to end, we... can choose our own destiny."

"Do you think we can become leaders who usher in a new era?" Wright asked Dark one last time, trying to confirm.

“Of course!” Dark stood up straight, looking out the window at the night sky gradually being filled with stars, and said with deep emotion:

"The world is on the eve of its most dramatic transformation, and our experience, our abilities, our strength, including our will, are enough to make us the best leaders. Don't forget, this may be the mission given to us by the Creator and the gods."

“We will become Ivan XXII of the Crusad Empire, the Flame King of the Khitanris, the Wild Hunt of Eventre, Alexander I of the Central Empire, and even stand shoulder to shoulder with Queen Elizabeth of the most prosperous period of the Putoa Empire.”

During their conversation, Dak and Wright simultaneously noticed that fiery red spheres were slowly rising from the distant horizon, soaring into the dark, silent night sky, and hurtling off in their respective directions.

Thanks to my roommate Zheyu for the monthly pass!