ACCR Chapter 7 The Slap


    A combination of purples and reds fluttered down from the willow, having been dislodged by a gust of wind, lending an air of fantasy to the scene before my eyes. I leaned back into the willow and took a deep breath of the scented air, one of the few real things in this illusory construct.


    I had had the privilege of being in the same room with Nascent Soul cultivators a limited number of times since my stint as the Toba clan leader, yet, I had fallen in love with Mr. Mumaso''s demeanor. Most people at that realm either blatantly or subtly flaunted their power, making it so that their immediate surroundings were a hazard, even for Core Formation cultivators. But he was different.


    I gazed up into the willow, watching as the leaves and petals fluttered down. His question was one I really didn''t want to ponder at this time, so I was buying myself some time.


    I could still vividly remember that particular experience, the one where Zeus had first contacted me. And the memories weren''t ones I was fond of. It had been akin to being thrust into war, expected to take down a Core Formation when you were just a Spirit Gathering whelp.


    The man had been the picture of musculinity, perfection and dashing. But I hadn''t bought into that at all. His smile had been warm and friendly, akin to an older brother, yet his eyes had been aglow with the glitter of yearning, coupled with love.


    It had been a perfect ensemble, one that would have won over the naive inexperienced women. But I had seen through the facade.


    He had professed his love and admiration, even going as far as to give the excuse that he had been too busy to have the chance of contacting me prior. Those electric blue eyes with lightning arcs had been capable of melting millions of hearts, but not mine. I had sensed a crisis!


    When those at the top of the power pyramid turn their attention towards you, the chance that it''s going to be good for you are always slim to none!


    After that first conversation, a few more were initiated by the man, even as I ran everywhere to try and secure a patron that would protect me and the clan from his clutches.


    Even through all that, as an administrative cultivator, I had scoured every conversation, every rumor, every piece of intelligence about the man and Pantheon itself, trying to puzzle out his interest in me.


    Yes... ME!


    Not the clan, not anyone related to me, but specifically me. The man wanted me. That I had managed to figure out, plus the fact that it might be related to my specific attribute of spiritual energy, yet nothing else.


    I turned to Mr. Mumaso, whose gaze was pointedly staring down into the vegetation below the hill.


    He''s handsome!


    Unlike the fake Zeus, Mr. Mumaso was more genuine. Not to mention that ostentatious hairstyle. Who the hell shapes their hair into a lightning bolt?!


    "I have no idea why that man would even want me. Do you know something?"


    I asked, wondering what was going through his mind.


    "Ms. Toba... Would you help me if I asked?" He asked, his gaze still gazing down the hill.


    My heart pounded within my chest as I directed a sliver of attention towards the blades of grass dancing to the whims of the breeze, illuminated by the Sun''s rays.


    He needs my help!


    This feeling was the same one those years ago when I had had a crush on a particular classmate. Had I fallen for him?


    I snuck a peek back at him, but his eyes were still not turned my way, which was starting to get to me.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "That would depend on a myriad of factors." I answered after a few seconds of overheating my brain.


    "The reason I hired you... Was mostly out of selfish intentions."


    For a moment, everything, from thought, to breath, paused when he spoke those words.


    "I wanted you to be the bait that would allow me to capture Zeus."


    My spiritual energy almost went haywire at his admission, with all my fantasies crashing to the ground and breaking like glass. And I had been deluding myself that he had been one of the few good people in the world.


    It started as an ember, a smidgen, yet that rage grew within me, consuming everying else, even rational thought itself.


    Bait! BAIT!


    I had been chosen because I had been the perfect bait!? I had been played to this extent. Why?! Because I had been a powerless desperate Core Formation woman?!


    My nails dug into my palms as I tried to control myself, feeling every single cell within my body vibrating with energy.


    "I am truly sorry for having kept this from you. I should have been honest with you from the start. But-"


    "But what?!" I shouted out. "Hah!? Am I that weak and inconsequential to the point that I am just one of the pieces on a chess board, or one of the cards in a deck?! Why can''t I become a player?"


    He even had the audacity to flinch. I stood up, taking deliberate slow steps until I reached right infront of him, looking down upon his form.


    His emerald green eyes gazed back at me, filled with guilt and myriad of other emotions which I didn''t have the patience to read.


    Do you have any idea of how many people I went to in order to ask for help? Do you have any idea of how many times my hopes have been dashed? And... And just when I had finally found it, you shattered it into smithereens!


    I wanted to shout out all those words at him, yet I couldn''t do it. So, I condensed each and every one of them into my right palm, and brought it down.


    Reed (POV)


    As Ms. Toba loomed over me, with my gaze locked with those steely grey round orbs of hers, all I could see was an all consuming rage.


    There was nothing to fault. Even I would have been equal to, or even more enraged than her.


    Then, her right hand was raised, bringing no small measure of surprise to my face.


    She wouldn''t!


    Lily Toba was an administrative type of cultivator. Those were the kinds that would mull over even the slightest of decisions extensively before committing. Yet here she was, having raised her arm with the intent of slapping me, a Nascent Soul cultivator!


    Could the previous days of despair have finally culminated into this course of action?


    I wondered even as the palm struck down, causing a thin film of compressed air particles to accumulate along its surface because of its speed, though still slower than my reaction speed, giving me plenty of time to ponder.


    This was an affront in the dignity of a Nascent Soul cultivator, yet there was a voice at the back of my mind telling me that this was my due. But that still begged the question. Should I accept it!


    With a sliver of my power, I created a transparent cage that would serve to lock all the fluctuations caused by her power within. The silver lining in this situation was the fact that she hadn''t released her spiritual power, instead relying on only her bodily strength, enhanced by years of being bathed within spiritual energy.


    The sound was loud, yet the pain was dull. I had allowed it to land, even making sure to prevent any instinctual defensive reaction by my spiritual energy.


    Heavy breaths entered the ears of my turned face as the woman heaved, trying to bring herself back in control, though not before releasing a gasp, which I was certain contained no small amount of shock.


    "I-I-I..." She tried to articulate something, only for the words to fail, with her feet faltering, making it so that she stumbled back a few steps.


    "I deserved that." After a sigh, I spoke. It fell upon me to break this deadlock.


    "I-I am sorry! I shouldn''t have lost control of myself!" She apologized while I finally brought my eyes back to her.


    She was a mess. There were tears in the verge of falling. There was terror within her eyes as the weight of what she had done sunk in. And most of all, her body was trembling, while her spiritual energy, grey in color, was spilling out of her to coat her entire body as she prepared herself for my retaliation.


    I combed a hand through my green hair as I beheld her, wondering about what I could do to alleviate her concerns. This was a situation I had never found myself in. It had always been the other way round, with my mother being my support until she had died.


    "This time... I am not going to hold it against you." I spoke after collecting my thoughts, which had taken a few tense seconds.


    "Sit down, Ms. Toba. We have much to discuss."


    A few minutes passed as I waited for her to get herself and everything within her mind under control.


    The breeze fluttered the petals and leaves of the willow, creating a scene like no other. The sun was right above the tree, bearing its wrath down upon the land. I gazed to the side, where Ms. Toba was seated. She was gazing far into the distance, having managed to get her outward appearance in order.


    "Ms. Toba..." I started only to pause as I lacked the words to use in order to bring up the previous topic without eliciting a massive fluctuation within her emotional state.


    "You want me to be the bait in a plan to bring down Pantheon."


    She spoke with a coldness that hadn''t been there before, though her face was a mask of stoicism.


    "Yes."


    "And what would that entail exactly? Will I still perform my duties as your secretary? Or, will I simply be an artwork to be paraded around?"


    "I hired you not just as bait. But also because of your extensive experience in management. There is no need to doubt your own abilities."


    That brought a twinkle within her eyes, which were still gazing into the trees below. But it was hurriedly smothered in the fraction of a second.


    She might never trust me again. But it''s better that she has an inkling of what''s needed of her. Atleast then, she will have a sense of preparation for the dangers ahead.


    "I will need some time to contemplate your offer."


    "Like... How long?"


    "A day, or more."


    "It will be better if it''s just a day. We have no idea how urgently Zeus needs you. And I lack the manpower to protect you from afar."


    "..."


    All that answered me was silence before she stood up and walked out of the room, leaving me to sigh out some pent up frustrations and lay down upon the desk. That had gone better than I''d thought.


    I caressed my cheek as I remembered her slap. She had been more out of sorts than I had expected. The woman had supposed to have had a rational, calm and calculative demeanor, yet it seemed that she wasn''t as perfect as I had previously thought. It looks like I was still underestimating humanity.


    I had to wake up. Zeus was a foe that was more powerful and cunning than I. If I had any hope of winning, I had to anticipate his moves!


    Now that he had lost Ms. Toba to me? He was most definitely going to opt for more violent means. What I had to figure out, was the timing.


    Though, there was one thing I was certain of. He wasn''t going to act impulsively. Which meant that he was going to bide his time, waiting for a suitable opportunity. Acting now would only be offending me and the Federation.


    I stood up, dispelling the illusion with just a thought, reverting the room back to its original dull decor.


    (Reed, I have managed to collect some useful information)