Chapter 246 — Thank You

[Capitol City - Back Alley - Evening]

The alley was narrow and dark, the kind of place where light struggled to penetrate even during the day.

Now, with the sun having set completely, it was almost pitch black except for the faint glow of a communication device illuminating a single figure.

Victor Cross stood with his back against the cold brick wall, his expensive tournament uniform torn in multiple places, burn marks visible across the fabric where the shockwave had caught him.

Blood had dried on his face and arms, mixing with soot and dust to create a mask of devastation that would have made his father weep to see.

But he was alive!

The empty potion bottles scattered at his feet told their own story – vitality potions, expensive military-grade healing solutions that cost more than most commoners earned in a year, all consumed desperately to keep damaged organs functioning and torn flesh from bleeding out.

He’d crawled here after the explosion, used his family’s emergency resources and somehow managed to survive what should have killed him.

The hologram showed the Chairman’s address, the powerful words still echoing in his mind even though the broadcast had ended minutes ago.

Victor’s face showed nothing...

No emotion, no reaction and no indication of what thoughts moved behind those empty eyes as he stared at the blank screen where the Chairman had been standing moments before.

Just... emptiness.

The kind of void that suggested either deep shock or something fundamentally wrong with the person displaying it.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Footsteps echoed through the alley, breaking the silence, the sound deliberate and unhurried despite the chaos that still gripped the Capitol just blocks away.

Victor’s head turned slowly and mechanically, his movements lacking the fluidity of a healthy awakener.

"...Who is it?"

His voice came out flat, emotionless, the question carrying no real curiosity or concern.

A figure emerged from the darkness – average height, wearing an expensive suit, his face hidden by shadows.

Victor’s body tensed slightly, his hand moving toward where his weapon should have been before remembering he’d lost it in the blast.

"Answer me... Do you know who I am?"

The question carried more force now, drawing on family name and status, the automatic response of someone accustomed to privilege and respect.

The figure stepped forward into the faint light cast by the communication device.

His face became visible.

"..."

Victor’s entire body went rigid, his eyes widening with shock that finally broke through the emptiness, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly for several seconds before words could form.

"C-Chairman?!"

One of the most powerful humans in existence stood before him in a dark alley, hands casually in his pockets, looking at Victor with an expression of complete boredom – as if finding the injured heir of an Imperial family hiding in the rubble was mildly tedious rather than surprising.

Victor’s mind raced, trying to understand why the Chairman would personally seek him out, trying to formulate appropriate words for addressing someone whose authority transcended all normal social structures.

But before he could speak, before he could bow or show proper respect or ask any of the thousand questions flooding his brain–

"Stop hiding."

The Chairman’s voice cut through everything like a blade, cold and absolutely certain.

"I know you’ve possessed the Cross boy."

****

Silence fell across the alley like a physical weight.

Then... Victor’s face changed.

Not gradually and not with any transition, but like a switch being flipped – his features remaining the same but the person behind them becoming something entirely different.

His eyes flashed, pupils dilating and contracting rapidly, the same distinctive pattern that Eleanor’s eyes had shown right before she’d thrown the cube.

When he spoke again, the voice was wrong...

Still Victor’s vocal cords, still his mouth forming the words, but the inflection and tone and underlying presence belonged to something that had never been human.

"Well, well. The little Chairman of the puny humans found me after so many years."

The entity wearing Victor’s face smiled, the expression carrying amusement mixed with condescension.

"I have to say, I’m disappointed. It took you so long to locate this fragment. I’d begun to think your vaunted intelligence network was overrated."

The Chairman’s expression didn’t change.

Still bored, utterly unimpressed and still looking at the possessed Victor like he was examining an interesting but ultimately insignificant insect.

The entity’s smile widened, confidence growing from the Chairman’s lack of reaction.

"Do you really think you can do anything to me? Even if you manage to destroy this soul fragment – which I doubt – I’ll only need a few years to recuperate. My main soul remains safely beyond your reach."

Victor’s body leaned forward slightly, the entity inside showing none of the pain that the physical injuries should have been causing.

"And more importantly, Chairman... are your laws even powerful enough to harm a soul fragment of my caliber? You’re strong for a human, certainly. But I’ve existed for millennia. I’ve seen entire species rise and fall. What can one weak species do against–"

"Thank you."

The Chairman’s words cut through the monologue with calm finality.

The entity paused, confusion breaking through its arrogant confidence.

"What–"

The Chairman waved his hand.

It was a casual gesture. Nothing dramatic or flashy. Just a simple movement like brushing away an annoying fly.

But reality responded.

Victor’s body – along with the soul fragment possessing it – simply ceased to exist!

Not burned, not torn apart and not destroyed in any conventional sense.

Just... unmade.

Reduced to ash that drifted down in the faint breeze, particles so fine they barely seemed to have substance, the last physical evidence of Victor Cross’s existence scattering across the dirty alley floor.

The soul fragment’s final thought echoed through dimensions it would never reach:

’Which law is this?! This shouldn’t be possible! Humans can’t–’

Then nothing!

Absolute erasure!

The Chairman’s voice continued as if he hadn’t just obliterated the soul fragment of a monstrous entity with a gesture.

"–for playing your role perfectly."

****

Silence filled the alley.

The Chairman looked down at the ash scattered where Victor had been standing seconds ago, his expression finally shifting from boredom to something approaching thoughtfulness.

"Gia."

His voice was quiet and conversational, speaking to the empty air as if addressing an old friend.

"Remove all traces of Victor Cross surviving the attack. Erase surveillance footage, eliminate witness reports and scrub every database. Show him as being completely vaporized by Eleanor’s self-destruction."

A pause...

"The Cross family shouldn’t be able to find any clues suggesting he lived past the initial explosion."