"I did not expect you to notice me, Mr. Ambrosia." A figure suddenly materialized out of thin air, scaring the lanky-armed individual shitless. However, Ace remained silent without a change in his expression.
"It feels really good, actually. I could never sense your presence during my first year at Academy 07, but now it feels vivid." Ace said, a gentle smile appearing on his right afterwards.
"It seems you knew of my existence, unlike the media. However, you know I could kill you right now and no one would ever find out, right?" Maxwell's expression suddenly turned from casual to solemn in less than a second. The air around him tightened, causing Leo to feel a sense of suffocation. "Or, I could dispose of this boy."
"I'm sure Lily sent you to threaten me or maybe even kill me, but know this… if you do anything to my family, Leo, or me, I will personally depose you from your nonexistent throne." Ace said, his eyes containing obvious murderous intent. Purple substance soon encompassed his body, causing Maxwell's eyes to widen for a split second.
"Bold words, Mr. Ambrosia. But I'm sure you're capable, aren't you?" Maxwell said as he summoned several spears above Leo's head, causing the latter to immediately enter [Transformation]. "Hmm, your [Transformation] is a little different than George's. Is that also because of Mr. Ambrosia's interference?"
Suddenly, a voice that did not belong to Ace, Maxwell, or Leo, emerged from the lanky-armed individual's mouth. A voice dripping with malic insurmountable by a human.
"Try us," It said. The voice was pleasing to hear, but at the same time, contained a warning Maxwell could not ignore.
"An incarnation of the Primal Demon… but, why did it possess your body? No, how did it possess your body? If George couldn't do so, how could an underage disgrace of the Kadz Family have an incarnation capable of possessing the wielder's body?" Maxwell spoke to no one specifically, but his tone contained genuine curiosity. It was also laced with a hint of desire, a desire to dissect Leo's body and research his insides.
"Dante, enough." Leo interfered with the possession, forcing himself to be the victor and speaking with a clear voice. Suddenly, the [Transformation] disappeared, leaving behind Leo's regular appearance. "Good."
"You can control him and let him possess you at such a young age? You can even fight against his will… truly incredible." Maxwell let out a gasp as he inspected the boy. He belonged to the Yearning Family, so he had the incarnation of the Primal Cobra. However, even he could not control it or let it possess him. It was physically impossible, even for his brother.
"Why are you here, Maxwell?" Ace asked, seemingly frustrated by the ramblings of the person who stood before him. Initially, he predicted that Lily might have sent him to threaten or kill him and his family, but now the reason seemed different. If Ace's initial prediction was correct, he wouldn't be alive anymore. Maxwell was too strong.
As he said those words, Maxwell's expression became solemn, he created three chairs using mana and motioned for Ace and Leo to sit before doing so himself. He then leaned forward while interlocking his fingers.
"It seems you've noticed. All right, I may as well reveal it to you. You know of the blacksmith who created the replica of Gungnir, correct?" Maxwell abruptly asked, causing Ace's eyes to widen. The latter had expected Noah to pursue John's trail, but he had never expected him to connect John with himself.
Leo, obviously confused by the question, yawned profusely before scratching his cheek. His eyes were droopy and he seemed sleepy.
"No… no, I do not know of him," Even though Ace was not confident in being able to suppress Maxwell at all, he could not reveal the identity of someone who yearned to escape from the world. Ace feared that if John was somehow found by Noah, the latter would treat him the same way Genro did.
"If you lie, we may have to exchange blows here," Maxwell's eyes turned cold, his gaze containing a sensation of threat. It felt like if Ace defied his will, he would be judged under his gaze.
"Indeed. It would serve to be quite a problem for the current me." Ace said, his expression not changing one bit. He leaned forward just like Maxwell, too. "But, I'm sure it would be an issue for you, too."
Ace was not unbeknownst to the fact that since the issue was so serious, Harold would have some say in what Maxwell did today. If that were true, Harold would never let Maxwell hurt someone innocent. Well, that rule could be overlooked if it was for his daughter, but he would never do anything wrong without an important motive.
Noah might approve of Maxwell hurting Ace, but someone who had never met him wouldn't. Moreover, the OTF would never let the Conscientious Faction lay a hand on Ace, even if it meant revealing their presence. That was because of how much the leader of OTF valued Ace. However, it was unbeknownst to Ace himself.
"I assure you. If you disclose that person's information, including his location and other details, we shall not harm you or your family." Maxwell seemed a little too persistent to Ace, who strictly forbade himself from disclosing any information. However, the former did not like that decision.
"That sounds an awful lot like a threat, doesn't it?" Ace asked, his expression turning into one of genuine curiosity. "Did Harold allow you to threaten me?"
Maxwell grit his teeth and restricted himself from pouncing and ripping the boy to shreds. However, he could not do that due to Harold and Noah forbidding him. Well, it was mostly the former, but he couldn't defy any of them.
"Just tell me and I will leave." Maxwell simply let go of any threats and decided to make the decision about him leaving Ace alone. The latter could not protest against that, since spying was not illegal if even the police couldn't sense the spy. "Or do you want me to follow you all day and night? I could literally stick to you like glue, y'know?"
"Are you becoming a stalker, Maxwell? Did Harold allow you to stalk little kids?"
"Do you really consider yourself a little kid, Mr. Ambrosia? And, do you want me to believe that a little kid defeated an S Rank individual while escaping a person almost at the level of a high-ranker? Did a little kid receive Felix's protection despite not having any blood relation?" Maxwell continued to name every remarkable thing Ace had done in the past year and a half, not overlooking a single thing.
He was trying to prove that Ace couldn't be classified as a little kid, but had gone overboard, causing Ace's cheeks to turn red in embarrassment.
"I didn't know I was so awesome," He said sarcastically, immediately activating [Indifference].
"Anyway, will you disclose the information or not?" Maxwell asked, his tone more solemn than before. It seemed that this time, he wouldn't take "no" for an answer.
"As I said before…" Ace began, but was quickly interrupted by the tip of the spear currently resting near his adam's apple. His voice was suppressed by the spear, but he quickly slapped it away using his hand. "As I was saying, I will not disclose any information, Maxwell."
Immediately, a loud bang resounded throughout the mountain, causing Ace's family to arrive on the scene. What they saw was Ace and an unknown man exchanging blows at rapid speeds.
"Leo, what's going on?" Alice said, her voice laced with worry. She wasn't an expert in combat, but even she could tell that her brother was losing the battle. Cuts and bruises were appearing on Ace's body every second, while Maxwell's smile was only widening as time passed.
"A man appeared and started questioning us. When Ace decided not to tell him some information he wanted, they started fighting." Leo quickly summarized the incidents into two sentences as Adam and Amanda questioned who the man was. "Well, Ace called him Maxwell Yearning. I've never heard of someone named that."
"He has the surname Yearning, Leo…" Alice commented, but her words were quickly struck down by the lanky-armed individual.
"No, I haven't heard of anyone in the Yearning Family named Maxwell." He said, igniting Alice's curiosity. She wondered if it was possible for someone to be impersonating a member of the Yearning Family who didn't even exist. If that was the case, she wondered if it was illegal.
"Maxwell… I think I remember that name from my days in Academy 07," A sudden voice intervened in Alice and Leo's conversation, and both of them immediately turned to look at the person who spoke. It was Adam, Ace's father. "Amanda, remember the boy who used to hang out with Harold… like his bodyguard?"
"The weird guy with the glasses?" Amanda asked, only for her husband to nod. Her eyes widened, her face violently turning towards the man who was currently overpowering her son. "If that really is him… he's changed."
Indeed, Maxwell had changed. The once nerdy boy who wished to please his brother had become someone respectable. Only, his entire existence was now unknown to the public, and he had become someone forgotten throughout history. If asked, only a handful of people would remember the boy.
"I'm not sure, but it could be. Especially since he used to hang out with Harold," Adam responded, stroking his chin. They could speculate all day, but for now, they had to assist Ace in defeating his foe.
"We can't defeat him." Leo concluded after calculating the strengths and weaknesses of everyone present. In reality, he had only stolen a glance and could easily tell they were no match for the monstrosity of a being, who seemed to be leisurely avoiding all of Ace's attacks without even breaking a sweat.
The power difference was too great, and even if Ace had ten clones possessing the same amount of power as him, he wouldn't hold a candle to Maxwell. It was extremely easy to tell, which is why Leo had confirmed it so quickly.
"Then, what do we do?" Alice asked, seemingly worried for her brother, who had just received a gash on his chest. Thankfully, the wound was shallow, only causing a little bit of bleeding. However, even such bleeding would kill Ace if not treated within a couple of hours. Moreover, if more wounds were added to the equation…
*
*
*
"It seems your family has arrived to assist you," Maxwell remarked, narrowly avoiding a cut to his stomach. He then stepped forward, trying to stab Ace, only to miss and pierce through the air instead. Despite having avoided the blow, Ace still suffered a shallow wound near his right kidney.
As the blood dripped down the side of his stomach, his face grew paler. It was at this moment that he activated Intermediate Level Mastery paired with Diagonal Devastation, only to miss completely. His hopes were crushed, and so was his body.
He couldn't maintain the flow of mana anymore and was about to collapse. However, before he did, he wanted to land a hit on Maxwell large enough to potentially kill him.
"Won't… Harold… punish you?" He asked, forcing a tiny laugh. His throat had completely dried, his face paler than a blank canvas. His body reeked of blood, contradicting his eyes, who desired to shed it.
His gaze pierced through Maxwell, sending shivers down his spine. However, the man knew that a gaze couldn't hurt someone, only scare them. But how could he accept being scared by a mere child, even if it were for a second? It was simply preposterous.
"You know, you could have avoided this outcome if you only disclosed his location… the blacksmith capable of creating the best weapon in the world." Maxwell mocked Ace by reminding him of the petty reason the former used as a reason to want to kill the latter. He was angry at himself for being fearful of the helpless boy that couldn't save his or his family's life.
"And if I… die, you won't be… able to… able… to find him," Ace barely voiced these words, spitting out a mouthful of blood in the process. The entire body was tattered now due to Maxwell's spear strike that even Harold found difficult to avoid or deflect. It was a subtle hint, but Ace realized Maxwell did not intend to actually end the former's life.
If he had intended to do so, he could have done it in a single blow. He felt devastated at the fact that Maxwell could have ended his life if he wanted to in a split second. He was too weak. Natalie was hundreds of times stronger than Ace, but at least he could distract her and escape. With Maxwell, that was physically impossible.
Ace thought he had improved, but as expected, a year and a half proved to be too short. He thought if he was a prodigy, he could surpass all logic and rival the strongest powers in only a year and a half. However, that was definitely not the case.
"I… was overconfident," He openly admitted he was delusional, hoping to have conquered the level of the powerhouses already. Granted, he was experienced. However, he had only ever reached the level of strength he currently had. He had never surpassed his current strength… ever.
"It's good that you realize. I may not be able to kill you right now, but the day will come when I have permission. Right now, we have to focus on the war and creating a weapon powerful enough to rival the replica of Gungnir." Maxwell explained, even going as far as to praise Ace for his openness and realization of his weakness.
"The replica of Gungnir…" Having heard of and seen the weapon before, he was by no means surprised. However, he wondered one thing… 'Isn't it too early?'
Gungnir had appeared six months from now when Noah and Genro had their second conflict. However, in this timeline, Genro decided to use it during their first conflict instead. It made Ace wonder, what else had changed after his regression?
"Maxwell… do you think… the real Gungnir exists?" Ace asked, trying desperately to steady his breathing. Maxwell seemed confused at the question as if he were really wondering if it were possible. However, he soon shook his head, displaying his refusal to believe such a weapon existed.
"If what Genro used is merely a replica of a stronger weapon, I would say we're doomed. It is unimaginable to even think of such a weapon. It wouldn't exist." Maxwell firmly denied the existence of such a weapon.
However, Ace knew it really did exist. According to Norse Myths, Gungnir was a weapon wielded by the Chief God Odin, the ruler of the nine realms. He ruled over Asgard, while Ace's goal, the Deity of Destruction, was allied to Asgard.
That meant Asgard existed. It also meant that the Chief God Odin probably existed. That would mean Gungnir was truly a weapon, and Ace predicted its strength to be above anything he could ever imagine.
"I see," However, he only nodded. If a weapon like that truly existed, Ace felt he would need it in order to defeat the Deity of Destruction. And he couldn't feel the existence of deities and celestials to Maxwell if he didn't know about it already.
"Ah, well then, I should take my leave then, shouldn't I?" Maxwell asked rhetorically, putting a hat he took out from his spatial ring while stepping backwards. He then lightly waved towards Amanda's direction, blowing an air kiss before disappearing.
Amanda, shocked by the sudden display, could only widen her eyes before turning to look at Adam, who seemed to be fuming.
The latter walked towards Ace, patting him on the shoulders as he bent down to whisper something in his ear. "Destroy that idiot for me, please."
Ace chuckled as he nodded, but made a mental note to do so. Noticing that his son had gotten the message, Adam headed towards the tents to bring medical supplies. They believed Ace could heal if given a couple of days, which he naturally could.
"Ace, who is Maxwell?" A voice suddenly entered Ace's ears, causing him to turn his head towards the one who spoke. It was Leo. His face was distraught and pale, and his eyes were now droopy. "I think I've heard that name before, but I can't put my finger on it."
Ace, who knew of the original story, could only swallow his saliva as he thought of ways to dodge the question. He knew that if he answered, Leo would eventually lose all sanity. It was that severe, and Ace wasn't the one to risk Leo's mental health.
"You'll find out soon enough, so save that question for a while," Ace assured, patting the lanky-armed individual on the shoulder before heading towards the tent. As the blood trickled down his body, he felt excruciating pain. However, he did not stop, nor did he turn around and look behind him.
What he would have seen was the figure of Leo, his expression crumbling.
'Ace… just who is that man, and why does he sound so familiar?'