Chapter 181: Father

Someone was calling to her.

Via clearly heard someone calling her name. It seemed to be coming from up ahead.

There’s actually someone here?

She was quite surprised.

“Lady Sashaya, did you hear anyone else’s voice?”

“Anyone else’s voice? Via, I didn’t hear anything. Could there be someone else here?”

Sashaya’s response came through the communication device.

Clearly, Sashaya couldn’t hear it.

Was it from up ahead?

Via raised her head and looked forward.

She had no idea what lay in that direction.

For some unknown reason, a strong impulse surged in her heart. She felt she absolutely had to go there and meet the owner of that voice.

“Via, are you okay right now? I’m a bit worried about your condition. The high-pressure environment isn’t causing hallucinations, is it?” Sashaya asked with concern.

“I should be fine for now. I plan to continue forward.”

Via’s attention was completely focused ahead. She barely registered Sashaya’s words.

The voice from the communication device grew intermittent. “You… see… danger… teleport… Via, if everything is fine… report back to headquarters in real time…”

Via felt dizzy and light-headed. The concentration of abyssal aura seemed to be growing higher and higher.

The further she advanced, the greater the pressure weighing down on her body became. Her feet felt as though they were sinking into a quagmire. With every step, the resistance increased, and her pace grew slower and slower.

Her vision became increasingly blurry, and her mind turned hazy. The air felt as if it had solidified, making each breath difficult.

“Mmm…”

Via could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.

She half-opened her eyes, aware of the danger.

The concentration of abyssal aura here had definitely reached one hundred percent. It had already exceeded what her body could endure.

She needed to escape from this place, or it would be dangerous.

The pink-haired girl desperately reached out toward the teleportation scroll at her waist. But the instant her fingers touched it, darkness completely swallowed her vision.

Just before she lost consciousness entirely, she seemed to see a massive star.

Via heard footsteps. She felt as though she was in a pitch-black space, unable to control her own body. Tap tap tap.

It seemed a mysterious humanoid figure had walked up in front of her.

This feeling seemed familiar.

She remembered.

The first time she had absorbed abyssal aura from an infected magic core and fallen unconscious, a mysterious person had also appeared before her and said something.

“Via, you really do like taking risks.”

“Y-you are…!”

“Actually, you shouldn’t have come here so early. But since you’ve already arrived, I’ll help awaken you ahead of schedule.”

After the mysterious person spoke, Via felt her bloodline begin to boil.

The sound of her heartbeat was especially loud. Her blood flowed at an accelerated speed, carrying a mysterious power throughout every part of her body.

Her previously rigid body regained its vitality once more.

The pressure from the ultra-high purity abyssal aura vanished without a trace.

Her consciousness gradually grew clear again.

“Huh?”

Via opened her eyes and slowly climbed up from the ground.

What greeted her eyes was a massive purple boulder radiating purple light that illuminated the dim space. This was also the area with the densest abyssal aura. Could this be the source of the abyssal aura?

Could it be…

So behind the fissure in the forbidden zone of the Thousand Sea Abyss was actually something like this?

What is this?

“This is a meteorite from beyond the heavens,” a voice replied.

Hearing the voice, Via quickly turned her head. She discovered a rather young male demonkin standing beside her. He was handsome, with features very similar to her own. A faint smile hung on his face, giving off a gentle aura. His eyes were a striking purple.

It was clearly their first meeting, yet the moment she saw this stranger, Via’s heart was deeply moved. It softened as if it were melting, and her emotions surged with intense waves. Her voice caught in her throat.

“Y-you are…”

“Via, I am your father, Constantine.”

Constantine.

Via repeated the name in her mind as tears welled up in her eyes and fell in large drops.

She did not doubt his words in the slightest.

This resonance of blood ties could not possibly be wrong.

The person before her was truly her father.

I’m so sorry, Via. I failed to fulfill my responsibilities. All these years, I’ve let you suffer.

A look of deep apology appeared on Constantine’s face as he reached out and gently stroked Via’s head. She had thought that in this world, her only close family was Sophie. She had never imagined that she would one day be able to meet her own father. This gesture made Via cry even harder.

Yet, amidst the overwhelming emotion of meeting her father, she also felt angry. She and her sister had endured so much hardship out there, but their father had never once come looking for them.

She raised her fist and slammed it into Constantine’s chest, as if to vent all her grievances. “You bastard!”

“Ouch.”

“Via, have you calmed down yet?” Constantine asked.

“How could I? You bastard father.”

Via wiped at her reddened eyes with her hand. After that outburst, her emotions had settled somewhat.

“You’re completely irresponsible! You abandoned me and my sister and never bothered with us all these years!”

“It’s my fault.”

“Hmph!”

“Via, how is Sylvia doing now?” Constantine asked.

Via lowered her head, her expression turning sorrowful. She had finally managed to stop her tears with great difficulty, yet now she felt like crying again.

“She’s already passed away.”

Constantine froze in place. The news struck him hard, and his eyes filled with melancholy.

His previously young and handsome face seemed to age noticeably in an instant.

“When I was little, Mother died in an accident. She was assassinated by someone else.” Via spoke of the incident she was reluctant to mention.

“Sigh, Sylvia… I couldn’t give you happiness, and I failed to protect you.” Constantine was filled with self-reproach.

“Father, do you know what this is? What are you doing here?”

Constantine’s gaze shifted, landing on the strange purple boulder.

“What is this?”

Via couldn’t help asking. She had been particularly curious about it since earlier.

“This is precisely the source of the abyssal aura in the Thousand Sea Abyss—a meteorite from beyond the heavens.”