"Kekeke. I never knew you had such a self-deprecating, dark sense of humor."
Eren was convinced that Ivor had made peace with his forced identity as the Osan Woods' Butcher by seeing himself as the deformed version of "the butcher". It was a form of self-deprecation that bordered on self-awareness.
Ivor snorted at Eren's remark before looking at Jason's corpse.
"The participants are dying in a battle between two kingdoms. The infiltrators and the ones running this shitshow are both full of themselves.
You are the only one benefiting from all the chaos happening all around you. And I guess you are the reason for the chaos in the first place.
My question is… how much of it was planned? And what will you do after you get out of this place?"
Eren understood what Ivor was trying to ask him in a roundabout way. The guy wanted to know about his plans for Eliza after he left Sansara World.
Ivor was supposed to head to the city of Lancelot after he got kicked out of the event. He needed to know if the butcher was willing to take him aboard his plans. It was clear to Eren that Ivor didn't want to choose sides between Eren and Eliza for the most part. But he didn't want to suffer at the hands of both sides by sitting on the fence either.
So he was looking for a way out. He was looking to get assured by either side that his interests and survivability wouldn't be harmed.
Eren and Ivor started talking. The butcher decided to use Ivor actively instead of just treating him as a convenient pawn. Of course, he couldn't trust him fully. However, he knew that he needed to take a leap of faith with Ivor in some matters for his own benefit.
Ivor's body started shining after a few hours. The purge of participants was taking place at this point. He was getting kicked out of Sansara World because his team failed to possess the necessary number of flags. The guy wore a mask to conceal his identity before commenting.
"I will try to help you as much as I can, Eren. Provided I get something out of it as well. But I can only do so much against a Sage. I hope you'll consider my limits in the Lazarus project."
Ivor had changed into Bert. He laughed mirthlessly and sighed before adding further.
"My name is going to come into the limelight once again when this thing blows up. I don't know if I should take joy in it or plunge myself into depression once again."
Eren chuckled and waved goodbye to Ivor as he said.
"Neither. It might sound rich coming from me considering I'm the reason for your infamy. But treat it as part of your journey– nothing less, nothing more.
Anyway… You better get the fuck away from the capital city before they know about the elven masks. I'll see you in the city of Lancelot."
Ivor nodded before disappearing from Eren's sight all of a sudden.
Eren agreed with Ivor's mindset. It was better if Ivor helped him willingly, rather than being forced to work. Eren would also be able to keep his plans flexible. That way, he wouldn't have to depend on Ivor too much.
Eren felt that he had made the right use of Ivor at the event. The guy had achieved his goal of confronting Jason and ticking the graduation event off his to-do list. They both knew staying in the Sasara World any longer would be detrimental for him as well as Eren.
Ivor couldn't wait for the competition to end. Rather than choosing a reputable position, he would prefer tangible benefits from completing his graduation.
Ivor knew that his identity as Robert or Bert Chu was as good as burned. The kingdom of Edinburgh would implement countermeasures against elven masks soon when the news regarding what took place inside the Sansara World started spreading.
Ivor would opt for monetary benefits from the event's organizers, which was considered the least preferred choice for the participants. He would leave the city of Edin safely, avoiding arrest.
Shortly, the name Bert Chu would get as much traction as Osan Woods' Butcher. That's because the masses would treat Ivor's event name as a tight slap on the kingdom's face. They would assume that Ivor had entered the event to make fun of the kingdom.
Ivor would see the bounty on his head rise to unprecedented levels. His participation in the graduation event was one reason behind this. The other was the fact that he had killed Jason.
***
Day 14: Ekulu rain forest. Morning 4.30 AM.
It was raining in this region of Sansara World. The downpour hadn't stopped for the last few days. The rainwater had created various puddles and streams of water on the ground.
The trees in the Ekulu forest were unusually dry and lifeless despite the abundance of water and nutrients from the black soil. The sunlight was unable to penetrate the region due to gray clouds that didn't look like they were heading anywhere anytime soon.
These settings created a gloomy atmosphere in the region. There was a stench of blood permeating the air as well. However, the smell of blood eventually gets mixed with petrichor, providing the surroundings with a unique note.
Due to the showdown between the two teams, a patch of deforested land has formed in this region. One team consisted of the elf infiltrators while the other was rankers from LA.
The showdown had lasted for more than a half hour at this point. It would have taken another half an hour before the winners of the conflicts were decided.
The conflict came to an abrupt end when a young man with emerald green eyes intervened.
"Oh! Mr. Rouge and Mr. Quake-element tank! Long time no see, guys. Time really flies, doesn't it?"
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AN: Mr. Rouge was mentioned in chapter 169 while the quake-element tank was mentioned in chapter 171.
