My Love Debts Are Everywhere - Chapter 419

Chapter 419: Velix Surrender and the Truth is Revealed
“The support you relied on is gone, Velix. Are you ready to face your punishment?”

At Leon’s words, Athena, Luna, and Valen instinctively glanced at Velix, who stood before the throne, eager to see his reaction.

But then, they were caught off guard. Rather than showing fear, Velix’s expression remained calm and detached, as if the fleeing members of the Temple of Twilight and the deaths of the Fourth and Fifth Apostles held no significance to him.

This only heightened Leon’s wariness. He feared that Velix might still have a dangerous trump card up his sleeve.

Velix met Leon’s gaze with indifference, though there was complexity hidden behind his eyes.

“Leron Kruger, you have won…”

His words stunned them all, especially Leon. He had expected Velix to be filled with anger, hatred, or some other emotion in the face of defeat.

Instead, Velix seemed to surrender so easily. Still, Leon didn’t lower his guard.

“If you have any other tricks left, bring them out, Velix. I want to see how you fight one last time,” Leon said, his tone casual.

Given Velix’s lofty ambitions, there was no way he would simply surrender. He must have one last way to preserve his power, though Leon had no idea what it might be.

Velix, however, showed no change in expression.

He simply sighed softly and replied calmly, “The moment I learned this rebellion was orchestrated by you, I realized both I and the Temple of Twilight stood no chance of victory. When they fled, I knew this might be the end for me.”

With that, he sat back on the throne and placed the Soul Devouring Crystal Orb on its armrest, showing no intention of channeling any more mana into it.

Leon, Athena, Luna, and Valen could sense the sincerity and truth behind Velix’s words.

Leon narrowed his eyes and slowly lowered his guard.

“Since you know this is the end, are you willing to answer my questions?” he asked, controlling his emotions.

Velix gave a small nod and replied casually, “Of course, ask anything you wish. If I know the answer, I’ll give it to you.”

Leon paused for a moment, then, through gritted teeth, asked, “Why did you plot to kill me back then? I served you and the Holy Empire of Elysium for years! I even followed your orders to fight the demon armies at various border points! Tell me, why did you do that?!”

As Leon spoke, his voice grew heavier and louder, filled with anger, hatred, and disappointment.

Athena, Luna, and Valen were deeply shocked. It was the first time they had seen Leon display such a shift in emotion.

Still, they understood that these were all the negative feelings he had been suppressing for a long time.

After all, being betrayed by someone you respect is a torment like no other.

“Leon…” Luna looked at him with pity, biting her lower lip.

Had she been in the Holy Empire of Elysium back then, she could have prevented Leon from facing such betrayal.

Unfortunately, she and Valen were at the border, trying to stop the barbarian army from the west that threatened the Holy Empire’s territory.

This was her deepest regret, one that sometimes made her feel ashamed in front of Leon.

Listening to Leon’s question, Velix fell silent for a moment before weakly responding, “Didn’t you already get your answer before you killed Jim?”

Leon gave a small nod, his voice filled with anger. “Yes, he did tell me. But I wanted to hear it directly from you.”

Velix closed his eyes briefly, then reclined against the back of the throne. “I did it because I felt threatened by you. At that time, your reputation among the people of the Holy Empire of Elysium and Holy Orthodoxy was too great. I feared you would remove me from power.”

Leon, already aware of the answer, didn’t show any change in emotion. However, Luna and Valen reacted differently—both were deeply startled by the admission.

Especially Valen, who had no idea that the plot to kill Leon was driven by something so simple. This shattered his perception of Velix, whom he had once seen as a capable and wise emperor.

“I know that’s not the only reason, right?” Leon asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Is there another reason?” Luna, Valen, and Athena were slightly taken aback, their expressions growing serious.

Velix briefly appeared surprised but quickly regained his composure.

“Did Jim tell you about that as well?” Velix asked, his gaze curious.

Leon didn’t respond, but the expression on his face provided the answer.

“So, that’s it…” Velix chuckled softly, nodding. “There is indeed another reason, and it’s tied to my ambition.”

He turned his gaze to the ruined ceiling, revealing a bright blue sky and the sun shining down.

“Back then, I had ambitions to rule the world. I believed the Holy Empire of Elysium should be the sole ruler. I planned to use you, the heroes, as my primary tools to achieve that goal,” Velix explained calmly, though his tone was tinged with melancholy. “Unfortunately, I knew that was highly unlikely.”

He lowered his gaze, then pointed at Leon, speaking regretfully, “Especially you, Leon. With your nature, I knew you would never accept my ambition. Moreover, I realized you would be a major obstacle to my future plans, and I had to eliminate you, no matter the cost.”

Luna, Valen, and Athena breathed deeply upon hearing the truth.

It was clear they had underestimated Velix—the situation was far more complex than they had thought.

Valen suddenly recalled something, his expression darkening.

“Then, was the declaration of the War of the Era in the Desert of Chaos a lie? Was it actually part of your plan to further your ambitions?” Valen asked in a cold, sharp tone.

Luna and Athena frowned, sensing that it made sense. If Velix aimed to achieve his ambitions, the first power to eliminate would be the Holy Orthodox.

However, given their status as humanity’s primary forces, it wouldn’t be easy for the Holy Empire of Elysium to achieve this. Otherwise, the resulting internal conflicts would only serve to benefit the Demon Empire.

Thus, the first step had to be attacking the Demon Empire, followed by an assault on the Holy Orthodox.

“Yes, you’re right. The War of the Era I declared was never about avenging Leon’s death—it was merely the first step in my ambition,” Velix admitted calmly.

“You…” Valen gritted his teeth, struggling to contain his anger.

The thing he despised most was being deceived and manipulated. To realize that Velix had fooled him not once, but twice, made his fury erupt uncontrollably.

*Boom!*

A surge of holy power exploded from Valen’s body, its immense pressure rippling through the throne room.

But just as suddenly, Leon placed a hand on his shoulder, and the holy power vanished in an instant.

The sight left Luna and Valen utterly stunned, their eyes locked onto Leon in disbelief.

“H-How did you do that?” Valen asked, his voice laced with shock.

Once a hero unleashed their holy power, there was no one capable of stopping it—not even another hero.

Yet Leon had effortlessly halted the energy surging within Valen’s body, something that should have been impossible.

Leon simply smiled, offering no explanation. “Don’t dwell on it. What matters now is keeping your temper in check. If you let your anger control you, you’ll never be able to defeat me.”

His words were like water dousing a raging fire. Valen quickly steadied himself, his fury gradually fading away.

Though reluctant to admit it, Valen knew Leon was right. If he continued to let his emotions control him, he would never progress, and his dream of surpassing Leon would remain nothing more than an illusion.

Leon shifted his gaze to Velix, his expression calm.

“One last question, Velix. How does Guren possess the power of a hero and even bear a hero’s destiny?”

This question still haunted him to this day. Even Miranda had been unable to provide a clear and satisfying answer.

Velix let out a deep breath and shook his head. “I have no idea how Guren came to possess a hero’s power and destiny.”

Leon’s brow furrowed at Velix’s answer. However, before he could speak, Velix continued, “When you heroes were born, I accidentally sensed a faint trace of another hero’s holy power in a remote village. Curious, I led an army to investigate and discovered that the source of the aura was a baby lying in one of the ruined houses.”

“I asked the locals, and their answers were always the same: they knew nothing about it. After that, I took him in, cared for him, and kept his identity hidden from the previous Holy Orthodox Saint.”

Leon could sense the sincerity in Velix’s words, a pang of regret stirring within him.

“Even Velix didn’t know about this… This matter is truly mysterious and complicated,” Leon murmured with a quiet sigh.

However, he didn’t give up, knowing that, sooner or later, everything would be revealed.

Snapping out of his reverie, Leon suddenly vanished from his spot and appeared right in front of Velix.

Drawing the Holy Sword of Zenith to his neck, Leon said nonchalantly, “Thank you for your answers. Now, do you have any final words or requests?”