Chapter 520: Moria's Devoured Shadow
Meanwhile, on the sea near Laugh Tale, Ryuunosuke's question about Lilith rippled through the air.
On Thriller Bark, Krul Bussurud's bow froze above the strings of his violin. The eerie melody that had been drifting over the waves abruptly stopped.
The name Ryuunosuke had just spoken was the very person Krul and the Guardians were meant to protect.
Now Ryuunosuke was openly starting to dig into Lilith.
"Could it be…"
A possibility flashed through Krul's mind.
Ryuunosuke had kept Roy aboard the Ark of Eternity. Krul had originally thought that was just a convenient arrangement and a small test.
But what if that was not all?
What if Ryuunosuke had actually developed some sort of interest in Lilith herself?
If those two reached an agreement, then…
"No."
The more Krul thought about it, the worse it felt.
If Ryuunosuke and Lilith made a deal now, the Guardians might very well end up carrying all the blame.
It would be like watching a storm from the shore, only to realize, too late, that the waves were about to swallow you as well.
"Moria, move."
Krul's eyes hardened.
"Attack Ryuunosuke with everything you have."
He could not afford to worry about anything else.
If Ryuunosuke continued along this line of questioning, the Guardians would inevitably be dragged in and targeted.
The only way to interrupt it was to throw the battlefield into chaos.
Hearing Krul's command, Moria's expression twisted.
His already gloomy eyes rolled back until only white remained.
A colossal shadow surged up behind him, boiling like ink.
"This is…"
Atostana, who had been about to answer Ryuunosuke's question, froze where he stood.
His pupils shrank to pinpoints.
Because the shadow Moria had just swallowed into his body was shaped like a great tree.
"The shadow of the Great Tree… you dare!"
Ryuunosuke watched the scene with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Moria."
"Krul Bussurud."
"They look a little nervous."
He turned his gaze back to Atostana.
This man had not shown such an expression even when Ryuunosuke was about to cut him down.
Yet now, because of what Krul and Moria had done, Atostana's face was filled with fury.
He was truly angry.
"Mr Atostana, if there is something you need to handle, you can act as if I am not here."
Ryuunosuke smiled.
"Of course, once you are done, you will still need to answer my questions."
"While you are handling your business, the Dragon Hunter Pirates will not allow any outside interference."
He did not know the full story, but when it came to watching a spectacle, Ryuunosuke was an expert.
After all, he had watched more than a few of his own crew's brutal training sessions from the sidelines.
"Thank you, Captain Ryuunosuke."
Atostana lowered his head slightly.
"I will tell you everything I know about Lilith afterward."
"If you had told me from the start that she was your target, I would never have needed to come all the way here to suffer like this."
He could not help muttering under his breath.
Having his essence shaved away by Ryuunosuke's strange power was not something to laugh about.
As soon as he finished speaking, Atostana shot toward Moria like an arrow.
The aura pouring from Moria's body was now so intense it caused the surrounding space to twist and ripple.
Ryuunosuke's eyes gleamed with interest.
He also wanted to know what exactly had been devoured to give Moria this sudden surge in power.
Once upon a time, Moria had not even been able to defeat Doflamingo.
On the Ark of Eternity, any official member of the Dragon Hunter Pirates could have beaten him easily.
But now, even Ryuunosuke had to admit that stepping into that aura would not be simple.
It was not that he could not win.
It was that the power coming off Moria felt too strange.
"Krul Bussurud, you dared to do this."
Atostana's voice rang out as he closed the distance.
"Do you think Jeff intended to let you go this far?"
"It seems the balance that has existed for so long is finally about to be broken."
His eyes, however, were not fixed on Moria, but on Krul, the violinist who had already started to back away.
"Balance?"
Krul laughed softly as he retreated.
"Lord Atostana, do you still believe such a thing exists?"
"Right now, I only want to do what I want to do. As for balance and all those pretty words…"
"Those are just illusions you and the others chose to believe in."
"So, you are here to stop me, is that it?"
Moria's power had become unstable. Even Krul could feel the danger pulsing off him and immediately chose to create distance.
Being caught up directly in that wave of power would not end well for anyone.
A thunderous impact cut through their exchange.
"Krul Bussurud, I thought you were never going to show yourself."
A clear, cold voice sliced in from the side.
"What is this? You stir up such a mess, and now you want to leave?"
"Keshia…"
Krul's expression finally changed.
The last person he had wanted to run into here was Keshia.
Everything he had done so far had been for two reasons.
First, to draw Ryuunosuke and the other monsters' eyes away so he could slip out unnoticed.
Second, to disrupt the conversation between Atostana and Ryuunosuke before too much information about Lilith was exchanged.
Now that Keshia had appeared, it was obvious he would not be leaving this place easily.
"So tell me, did you attack on Boss Jeff's orders, or was this your own idea?"
As Keshia spoke, a massive greatsword appeared in her hand.
Regardless of how Krul answered, her stance said she was ready to cut him down.
"This is getting more and more interesting."
Ryuunosuke had already drifted a little farther away, choosing a comfortable vantage point.
"Looks like today will not be boring at all."
"I wonder if Ace will be able to come out once this is all over."
For a good show, one had to pick the right seat.
…
Before Keshia and Krul could even finish exchanging words, Moria finally moved.
With a single, simple punch, he smashed into Atostana and sent him hurtling through the air.
As Atostana flew back, Ryuunosuke noticed something else.
The aura gushing out of Moria was similar to Atostana's own.
No, not just similar.
It felt as if it came from the same origin.
"Family, maybe?"
Ryuunosuke narrowed his eyes.
Just from appearances, the two could not have been more different, like they had come from entirely separate bloodlines.
But that shared origin of power explained Atostana's fury a moment ago.
"Captain, should we take this chance to go after Krul Bussurud?"
Meliodas floated to Ryuunosuke's side, eyes shining with fighting spirit.
"If we remove him now, it should help tilt the battle in our favor."
"There is no need for us to interfere in this fight."
Ryuunosuke shook his head.
"Just watch."
"Sometimes, learning how to observe is its own form of cultivation."
In truth, his blood was also starting to burn.
But this battle revolved around the secrets between the Guardians and the Evictors.
If Ryuunosuke stepped in and took a side now, no matter who he struck, he would likely lose his chance to learn the truth.
Even if both sides ended up battered and broken, the answers might die with them.
Rather than charging in blindly and doing something exhausting and thankless, it was better to stand back and watch.
At the very least, there was a lot to be learned from simply letting the board reveal itself.
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