Viktor and the others came back home right after the race was over. They all left Midas speechless and went back to their normal phase of the day to celebrate new year's night. Viktor gave Adonis a fine bottle of wine made from rare fruits from his greenhouse. It was the finest wine that was occasionally enjoyed by the gods in the realm of gods. So, it was a really precious reward for winning the race.
He was satisfied with the result.
Viktor then clapped his hand twice and said, "Now, now everyone. Settle down a bit. The night is still young so we still have lots to do."
Mors then said, "Party night?"
Viktor agreed with him and said, "Let's have fun outside. It's been a while since we ate outside. I've also reserved a table for us in a BBQ place."
"Yey! Pork belly!!!!!!" Ifrit screamed.
Viktor laughed and mumbled, 'It's been a while since I've cut myself from the world. I should hang around a bit before I leave this place forever.'
…
Somewhere in the guardian realm…
The guardian of water rushed out of his home right after he felt the wind guardian's aura vanish. He was so worried that he nearly lost his temper and killed his subordinates. To investigate the matter, he used his magic to search for the culprit.
He searched more than 300 places and finally found the area where the wind magic had lost his fragment. But a strong barrier was blocking all the way in. Moreover, there was no sign of the wind guardian so he assumed that he ran away or probably moved from the earth after being humiliated.
So he ordered some of his subordinates to go there and look for the reason and capture the criminal.
He knew the situation wasn't good but he couldn't let go of that matter. He wanted to see who did that to him and what was the reason. After a year of his decision, he left the guardian realm in the search of that person.
The present time…
Viktor was standing above a mountain surrounded by endless desert. The yellowish sand was reflecting the light of the full silver moon and also on his white hair. He also took Adonis along with him because he needed someone to guard his back when he was not looking back. Even though the water guardian wasn't even a worthy opponent, he told Adonis to tag along because he might get bored and kill him.
"Master, when will that person appear? I'm afraid that you might fall asleep at this rate." Adonis complained and looked at his pocket watch. He again said, "It's currently 2 am in this country."
Viktor fixed his tousled hair and replied, "He will appear in 20 seconds from now. I guess he took the bait that I felt at my house."
Right after 20 seconds, a blue-haired gigantic man appeared in front of them. His long ocean-blue hair and blue eyes were all revealing that he was a guardian of water.
He was an eye-catching man who can steal the hearts of millions of women with a glance. But sadly, he was nowhere near Adonis in terms of beauty. He was just a normal grey stone beside a shining diamond like Adonis.
The guardian said, "Criminal, you've committed a great sin. You've laid your hands on a king guardian. Not only that, you've rejected the merciful offer bestowed by all the guardians of the realm. Therefore, I will take your life as payment for committing all those sins. You should be grateful that your head will fly away by the hands of a great king. Be honoured."
He raised his arm and summoned an axe made of water. But his arm froze right after he looked into Viktor's bright silver eyes. They were so terrifying that he forgot to move. It was his first time to feel such murderous intent all over his body. Viktor's gaze was drilling sharp holes all over his body without leaving an opening.
His whole sturdy body became a weakness in an instant.
Viktor then said, "Pointing your weapon at someone whom you met just now. You really have the gut of steel. But I'm not impressed. That fly was more powerful than you but why are you weak like a twig? Did you cheat or something?"
In an instant, Viktor looked right into his tricks and said, "You're not even qualified to become a noble guardian, let alone a king. So, where did you find an infinite mana stone? It's not even properly implanted inside your fragment. Is this how you gain your power and authority? I'm disappointed in you."
The guardian had no words coming out of his mouth. He just stood there frozen with an axe above his head. Viktor then again said, "Well, I have no intention of working under you. I don't even care about how I spend my day like a maggot under my dirty blanket. How can someone assume that I will work to save the universe? This is outrageous!"
He then scratched his head and said, "I do care about the place I'm living in. But it won't be me who'll be saving the universe. I will hand over the authority to Ifrit since he has the experience. But for now on, I'll be taking your fragment."
Viktor smirked and when he was about to touch his chest, the water guardian screamed.
"Stop!! Please spare me!! Don't take away my fragment!!!"
"Don't be such a baby. You've ruled the realm for more than millions of years. It's time for you to retire. It's not like you'll die. You guys are already immortal so what's the issue?"
Viktor started to devour his fragment. The guardian kept screaming until he felt the power leaving his body and then, he lost consciousness.
Viktor then said, "Knocked out already? I didn't even push him."
Adonis replied, "Master, he was weaker than the others. He might've had a powerful fragment but his physical state was no more than a commoner guardian. He was a cat in a lion mask."
"I agree. He was fooling everyone with that trick. The goddess knew he was weak so he gave him an infinite mana stone to cover up his gap. He was powerful but his physical strength was trash. What a letdown. Let's go home. I'll talk about this matter with Ifrit later."
"Yes, master."
Both of them vanished from the desert leaving him all alone. Viktor immediately went inside his blanket and asked Adonis to turn off all the lights and close the curtains. Since it was morning there, the sun was interrupting him.
Adonis did as he was told and then asked, "Master, what are you going to do now?"
As Viktor understood the deep meaning of his question he softened his gaze and became silent. After a few moments, he replied, "Elesis's army is no longer walking around the earth. Midas will be dead soon since Ifrit and you have imprinted your mark as prey on him. About four formal guardians have also left earth by using 'summoning magic' upon themselves. The world is currently a peaceful place to live."
Adonis then asked, "Master, do you wish to live here for a couple of centuries?"
Viktor rolled over his bed and said, "Who knows? Maybe yes? Or no? I don't know. What about you?"
Adonis stepped closer to his bed and took a seat close to him. He then said, "Master, the world is too peaceful that I can't help but worry about you."
"What are you concerned about?" Viktor asked.
"I'm afraid that you might be asleep for a decade without waking up."
Viktor burst out of laughter and said, "Is that what you're worried about? You're so funny, man!!" Ahahahah!!! Well, that's not wrong though-_-. I wanted to try 'deep sleep' for once."
Adonis sighed and stood up. He then walked near the door and said, "Master, I believe that you can do anything if you try. Maybe you can achieve a great skill if you cultivate your core in your deep sleep. Don't worry. I, Adonis North, will guard this house while the Lord of this house is in 'deep sleep'. Rest assured, master. Leave the house to me. You can rest for as long as you want. Call me when you need me anytime. I will be there for you for your eternity. This is my duty as the knight."
Viktor threw a small pillow at him and said, "Well then close the door already! Man, what should I do with this loyal demon of mine… hah…. Adonis, I'll leave the rest to you. See you soon. And yes, if you want to marry Sho, wake me up."
"Which is never going to happen, master-_-. Just go to sleep, damn it! Nobody is getting married in this house."
"Ahahahah!! Okay okay. Good night then, Adonis."
"Good night, master."
Adonis closed the door without making a sound and left the east wing of the mansion. He then walked inside the room where all the members usually hang out during the day. He then said, "Listen everyone. The lord of the house has decided to 'deep sleep' for an uncertain period of time. For this reason, I, Adonis North, am the current lord of the house in my master's absence. I hope all of you can help each other to maintain the family matters easily. But since the master is absent, I will be adding a new rule."
Everyone was surprised to hear that a new rule will be added to the house rules.
Adonis then cleared his throat and said, "From now on, the North family will disappear from the public face. So, I will be putting a curfew. Nobody is allowed to stay outside after 6 am. And everyone is obligated to cultivate their core for 12 hours a day. If you wish to continue being a part of the family and abide by the rules, you may stay here. And if not, you may leave and never return."
Nobody raised their hands to disagree with the strict rules. Instead, they were seeing the lights of the upper realm shortly. All of them understood that Viktor was preparing to travel to the upper realms and take part in the tournament. Adonis then said, "That's the answer that I expected from everyone. Good luck with your training, I'll be taking my leave now. Have a good day everyone."
He then closed the door and left the house for work.
...…..
..
NOTICE:::
[[[ Hello dear readers. It's been almost 4 days since I took a break. I'm a 2nd-year college student now so you can understand my situation. I can't even sleep at night because of the pressure. I'm barely getting an hour for my novel update.
I'm happy because there are a lot of readers who enjoy this story even though it's not 'High-quality'. I'm still weak in grammar because I'm not a good student. (English is not even my 2nd language).
I tried my best to give it a shot. And I'm really grateful for all those readers who supported me. Thank you so much for that.
My special thanks to top fans:
…
King_Rabbit
Yuki_shiro_5
and
Ashborn1609
…
And the other readers who have supported my work, I'm very grateful because for you guys, I was able to walk on a very thin thread-like path in my life.
But it's kinda disappointing that I'm not getting any credit from it. It's been a while since I've started to post my work here and I'm left empty-handed. Well, I never expected anything from the beginning, but still. Seeing others getting a contract here with a very low view and a handful of readers is making me kinda sad.
I'm not offending anyone, I'm not saying that their story is bad or something. It's just a little frustrating that I'm just left behind.
Well,
Everyone has their own way to their success. What about me? I'm just buried under the pile of millions of talented people with great willpower.
Anyway, it looks like I'm talking too much. Hahah.. I'll be taking a break then. Don't know when I will come back with new episodes but I'm sure it will be full of surprises.
If you wish to contact me, follow & dm me on social media: Insta... @miami_rin