Abe stared expressionlessly at the fallen Breaker. The dark aura that surrounded the Dark God's Divine Servant was no more. The little assassin was severely battered. His chest was a mess, and several of his ribs were broken. His heart had been completely obliterated, and if it wasn't because of his special constitution, he would have long given up the ghost.
"I assume we will meet again?" Abe looked into Breaker's rapidly dimming eyes and said. Breaker couldn't say anything, but he could still hear what Abe was saying – faintly. Abe's words alarmed him somewhat. For he spoke as one who knew that Breaker and the others had extra lives.
"Well, you cannot answer anyway. I want you to send a message to your master for me. Tell the Dark God that the Silver Wolves will not forget this. When our pack is complete and our power mature, he will feel the ferocity of our roar." Abe stated with a stern expression before descending on Breaker.
A golden light filled Abe's hand and a thin earth sword formed within his palm. Without waiting for Breaker to fully digest what he said, Abe swung the sword and took the man's head off his body, effectively killing him. Once his head was forcefully separated from his body, Breaker's figure slowly turned to ash and was dispersed in the wind.
"He truly was a Divine Servant," Abe frowned. Lina's body was nowhere to be found. She had likely disappeared the same way Breaker had. Abe hadn't noticed her disappearance. For he had been too focused on the opponents who were alive at the time. Besides, as a Scholar his power only registered the things that had life; that didn't include the dead. As for Rage, he had been burned fully by Selina's flames. But it was likely that he would have returned to the Dark God the same way if he wasn't killed in such a manner.
*The Silver Wolves Team has killed the two offenders of Systema and has earned its earned rewards. Inner Energy of each member increases by two*
"Oh?" Abe's expression lit up as a strong cloud of light formed above his head. "They were marked?" Abe smiled at the unexpected reward. The same clouds appeared above the unconscious Selina and the sitting Aegeus. And Frederick who was cooped up in the bunker was no exception. In a synchronized motion bright light pillars descended from the clouds and engulfed the four.
"This is nice," Abe smiled before he was engulfed by the light.
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Back on Zandor, Ray was currently at the family mansion. He was seated next to his son, his eyes glued to the sleeping boy's figure. He could sense the changes his son's body was going through. It had only been half a year but his boy was now a peak Heaven Realmer. For once, Mane's strength had remained at one stage for a month. For usually his son broke through every few days. It hadn't been so since he hit the peak of the Heaven Realm however. Ray understood that this was likely due to the fact that Mane wanted to achieve Nobility in every discipline he majored in. After all, he – Ray – hadn't been any different. He had also spent quite the time in the Heaven Realm trying to get his Spiritual Level to be on par with his wielding level. In fact, it was the main reason why it had taken him so long to break into the Nobility Realm. Alexis was the same. Just that she was a Scholar whereas Ray was a Spiritualist.
However right now things were a bit different. His son's energy was becoming more turbulent. It was becoming chaotic, with elements flooding the place. The change was slow. It would probably take an hour or two, but it seemed that his son was finally breaking through.
"He is becoming a Noble!" Ray was giddy with excitement. He hadn't been this excited when he was breaking through the Nobility Realm.
"It's a pity Alexis and Mentor Fin aren't here to witness this," was what Ray said with his mouth, but the gloating expression on his face said otherwise. He had been absent most of his son's life. To be watching over him as he broke through an important stage in his journey as a wielder and even more importantly, the Supreme, was amazing. And he was going to bluff about this to Alexis and Butler Fin when he next saw them.
Suddenly the joy on Ray's face disappeared, and his expression grew stern. There was a look of tiredness on his face. But when he looked down and saw his son, it was replaced with conviction.
"Of all the times, why did he choose to come now," Ray sighed before standing up. He didn't know what happened to Butler Fin and Indra, but they had failed in their mission to keep the Dark God restrained. They were supposed to drive Seth out of Zandor. But for some reason, the Dark God was on his way here.
Ray had great faith in his mentor. Even if Butler Fin was surrounded by more than two Elder Gods, he should be able to escape successfully. And with Indra with him, the odds of the two being in danger were very slim. As for more than three gods ambushing the duo, Ray knew it was impossible. Zandor may have fallen, but it was once a lofty world of great power and charisma. Its laws wouldn't allow so many foreigners to gather within it. Seth was an oddity, but even if he used a Space Origin Divine Artefact, he wouldn't be able to bring more than one god with him. But even bringing that one god would cost the Dark God much. However, with how eccentric that guy was, Ray wouldn't put it past him to bear the huge cost of rare resources to bring a tagalong.
"I cannot let him near this city. Mane must breakthrough in peace." Ray knew what he had to do, and he was going to do just that. Mane may be stuck in the Dreamscape, but if his body here was harmed, he will be affected. As his father, Ray knew that confronting the Dark God here wasn't a wise decision. Besides, there were many innocent people in Neces, and the Silver Wolves wouldn't be happy if any member of their family was harmed.
"But first I must inquire of them once more," Ray knelt down and placed his hand on Mane's forehead. He closed his eyes and reopened them. When he did, he was in Mane's mindscape, right in front of the mountains that housed Mane's great mentors.
"Little Ray, we know why you have come," the voice of the 1st filled Ray's ears the moment he arrived.
"I need you to protect him Uncle. I need all of you." Ray pleaded. They may be trapped, but under certain conditions they could unveil themselves in the real world. It would come at a huge cost to them, and that was why Ray was asking this of them.
Against foes at below the Ascension Realm, any of the masters could send forth a spectral image of themselves and that would be enough. But against Ascenders, this was never bound to be good enough, especially considering that each of them only possessed a fraction of their former power. And against one like the Dark God, all of them would have to make a great sacrifice.
"Do not worry child. We will protect the boy. We love him too. Definitely not as much as you and Alexis, but more than a lot of people." 2nd's gentle voice informed Ray of the decision of the Masters, much to his delight. He knew that they would not let harm come to the boy, but hearing them affirm what he suspected was reassuring.
"Thank you. I will not forget this favor." Ray expressed his thanks before making the decision to leave. He had already dallied for a bit too long. He had to get out of the kingdom quickly.
"Be careful kid. The Dark God was a threat to even me in my prime. Do not only protect your body, but your mind as well. You are a Spiritualist, so it shouldn't be that difficult. But do not get complacent." 1st advised Ray right before his figure faded completely from the mindscape.
"I know what to do Uncle. Thank you." Ray's figure was gone by the time his words reached the 1st.
"You are worried about him," 3rd said, stating the obvious.
"Yes," 1st admitted.
"You shouldn't be. The Dark God is strong, but the kid isn't weak either. The time of us oldies has long passed. It is the time of the new." 9th who was the youngest spoke the longest sentence he had ever spoken in the past few months since Mane left.
"Do not forget that Ray became an Ascender when he was only several centuries old. His talent and battle experience makes him more than a match for the Dark God. Besides, he and Fin aren't stupid. They certainly prepared for such a day." 2nd consoled.
"That is true. He is my nephew after all. Hehe"
*****************************
Once Ray left Mane's mindscape he activated the barrier Alexis had built for the house, clouding the large mansion in a white mist. It would take a powerful Sensor God to breach such a formation within a short time. At the earliest, it would take about an hour. Ray would have been alerted by then. Seeing that everything was prepared, Ray zoomed out of Neces. He was as quick as a shadow. Many mortals caught a glimpse of his figure but only attributed the short interaction to a mirage. In only a few seconds Ray had flown out of Neces, and in about ten he was out of the Western Empire.
He flew for almost half a minute, leaving the Western Empire far behind him, before he caught a glimpse of the Dark God. Seth was moving leisurely among the clouds. He didn't move with Ray's urgency, neither did he need to. To him everything was in control.
"Ah, the mighty Brute King," Seth gave an exaggerated midair bow when he spotted Ray. There was a huge smile plastered across his immature looking face. And it was hard to tell if he was being serious or he was joking.
"Dark God," Ray stopped in his tracks upon spotting the strange god. There was a distance of a couple of hundred meters between them. But they could see each other and hear each other just fine.
"Let's not waste time with small banter. What do you want?" Seeing that Seth was about to speak again, Ray stopped him. He had heard about this man from Butler Fin. Seth was crafty and sly. He never went straight to the point and was used to beguiling his opponents. Ray was anxious about his son. He didn't have that much time to waste.
Seth's eyelids twitched when Ray stopped him from speaking any further. But the smile on his face didn't fade. Without skipping a beat he said, "I am here to offer you employment. Join me Brute King. And I will bring you all the challenges you crave."
Ray was famous for seeking out warriors to prove his skill. He loved a good fight and adored overcoming challenges. That was his profile before he became a father. And Seth was willing to offer him that.
"No," Ray answered swiftly. Even if he was still the god he was before, there was no way that he would work for Seth.
"Ah a pity. I gave you the chance to join me as an equal." Seth sighed pretentiously. Suddenly the world turned pitch black as Seth's power filled it fully. His Darkness Domain was no joke, and though it carried no ice, there was a coldness that chilled the hearts of all on Zandor. Seth's eyes were pitch black and his clothes had been replaced with a black armor set. A broad smile filled Seth's face as he said,
"But now I will accept you as a slave"