The grand hall was silent except for the faint crackling of shattered marble beneath their feet. Elion stood with quiet authority, his golden eyes locked on the Dred.
With Levitas holding the creature frozen, its distorted form twitched and jerked against the invisible force, releasing guttural sounds that seemed to claw at the edges of sanity.
The oppressive air thickened as the elders' disbelief began to boil over.
"This is madness!" Elder Cedrin spat, his voice trembling with outrage. "You expect us to believe this child understands what we cannot? That only he can defeat it?"
Another elder stepped forward, his pale face drawn tight with anger. "This is nothing but arrogance. My Lord, we shouldn't waste time listening to such absurdities. Let us destroy this thing—together!"
Elion's gaze flicked to the elder briefly, his expression one of quiet disdain. He opened his mouth to respond, but Graviel's voice cut through the growing chaos like a blade.
"Enough."
The single word carried such weight that the hall fell silent immediately. Graviel's silver eyes glinted with an unreadable intensity as they settled on Elion. His face betrayed no emotion, but his tone was firm, commanding.
"Let him speak," Graviel said. "I want to hear what he knows."
The elders exchanged uneasy glances, some gritting their teeth in frustration, but none dared to argue.
The Dred let out another low, inhuman growl, its twitching limbs straining against the invisible force pinning it in place. Elion stepped closer, his movements deliberate and calm, his golden eyes unflinching as he addressed the room.
"This… is a Dred," he began, his voice even but sharp. "A creature born from the darkest parts of the human soul—manifestations of fear, hatred, despair, and every negative emotion imaginable."
The Dred emitted a sudden, ear-splitting roar. It wasn't just a sound—it was something primal, something that seemed to bypass the ears and dig straight into the mind. The elders recoiled, some clutching their chests, others flinching as though struck. Even Verion tensed, his fury momentarily eclipsed by the unnatural sound.
Elion barely blinked, his tone cutting through the noise like steel. "This is why your attacks didn't work. A Dred feeds on negativity. As long as you harbor fear, hatred, or despair in your hearts, you're powerless against it. Your weapons are useless, your Qi meaningless."
The room grew colder as his words settled over the audience.
Verion's body trembled slightly as he stared at the writhing creature. His mind raced, torn between disbelief and a burning rage that refused to subside. The Dred still looked like him—Rael. That smug, betraying face that haunted him even in this new life.
"Is that true?" Verion growled, his voice low, but his anger simmering beneath the surface.
Elion turned his head slightly, meeting Verion's gaze. "Yes," he said simply. "Every one of you sees it differently—shaped by your own pain, your own negative emotions. That's what gives it strength."
Verion clenched his fists so tightly that his nails bit into his palms. His Qi flared around him for a brief moment before flickering out. Does that mean… it's me? he thought bitterly. Am I giving this thing power?
He grit his teeth, his mind flashing back to that fateful day—the betrayal, the humiliation, the destruction of everything he cared about. It was still there, buried in him like a shard of glass too deep to remove.
His hands trembled. He wanted to deny it, to tell Elion he was wrong. But deep down, he couldn't.
Meanwhile, Elara stood frozen, her dagger trembling in her hand. Her eyes remained locked on the Dred, unblinking, wide with fear. She barely registered her son's explanation, her thoughts consumed by the figure she saw before her.
It wasn't Kaelan anymore. It wasn't even a monster. What stood there was something else entirely, something that tore at her heart and mind. Why now? Why am I seeing this?
Her chest tightened, and her vision blurred. She felt like she couldn't breathe, like the walls of the grand hall were closing in on her.
Focus, Elara. She gripped her dagger tighter, willing herself to push through the suffocating fear. Don't let your fear controls you.
But she couldn't move.
Elion stepped closer to the Dred, the oppressive energy rolling off its form brushing against him like an icy wind. Without hesitation, he extended his hand, activating his Inventory. A shimmering portal appeared, and from it, he drew a sleek, gleaming blade. Its edge glinted in the dim light of the hall, exuding an almost otherworldly sharpness.
"This is why none of you can fight it," Elion said, his voice steady. His gaze swept across the room, pausing on Verion, the elders, and finally Graviel. "As long as you cling to your fears and hatred, you're powerless against it. But me?"
A faint smile tugged at his lips—cold and resolute.
"I let go of all that a long time ago."
With a single, fluid motion, Elion swung the blade. The sword sliced cleanly through one of the Dred's massive, clawed arms, severing it completely.
The severed arm hit the ground with a sickening thud, black liquid pooling around it like oil. The Dred shrieked—a sound so unnatural and piercing that it seemed to shake the very foundations of the hall.
The liquid hissed and bubbled where it touched the marble, eating into the stone with acidic ferocity. The Dred's remaining limbs thrashed violently, straining against Levitas with renewed vigor. Its distorted voice gurgled and spat, producing guttural sounds that felt like the echoes of something ancient and wrong.
The oppressive energy around it surged, pressing down on the room like a crushing weight. The elders staggered, and even Verion gritted his teeth against the suffocating force. But Elion stood firm, his smile widening.
It's been so long, he thought, the thrill of the fight igniting something deep within him. I missed this.
Verion's eyes widened as he watched the severed arm dissolve into black sludge. His fingers twitched, itching to draw his weapon again, but his feet stayed rooted to the ground. He clenched his fists tightly, his jaw locking as a surge of frustration flooded through him.
Why couldn't I do it?
The Dred still looked like Rael to him, the specter of his deepest betrayal. Elion's words echoed in his mind:
"Every one of you sees it differently—shaped by your own pain, your own negative emotions. That's what gives it strength."
Was he really so weak? So consumed by his anger and bitterness that he couldn't even touch the damn thing?
He growled low in his throat, the sound barely audible but carrying his frustration like a storm ready to break. His Qi flared briefly, but it sputtered out again as his shoulders dropped. For the first time in a long while, he felt small—helpless.
He turned his head slightly, glancing at Elion, who stood firm and confident, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. Verion hated how natural it looked on him.
Damn it.
Beside him, Elara gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as she watched the severed arm dissolve. Her heart raced as she stared at her youngest son, standing calmly in the center of the chaos.
For a moment, pride swelled in her chest. He had done it—he had stopped the creature and hurt it in a way no one else could. He looked so strong, so sure of himself. Her little boy had grown into something extraordinary.
But that pride was quickly followed by something else.
How does he know all of this?
Elion's confident smile sent a shiver down her spine. His calmness in the face of the Dred's terror—his ease in wielding power that no one else could—made her heart ache with something she couldn't quite name. Was it fear for him? Or fear of him?
She gripped her dagger tightly, her knuckles whitening. The sight of him standing so resolute made her want to run forward and pull him close, protect him from whatever had turned him into this. But deep down, she knew.
He didn't need her protection.
And that thought terrified her most of all.
The elders exchanged frantic glances, their skepticism crumbling into stunned disbelief.
"H-How…?" one stammered, his voice trembling. "Why can you harm it, but we can't?"
Another elder, emboldened, stepped forward, his Qi blazing around him. "If it can bleed, it can die!" he declared, launching another powerful strike.
But just like before, his attack passed harmlessly through the Dred.
The elder froze, his face pale with disbelief. "W-Why?! What is this… sorcery?"
Elion sighed, his smile turning bitter. "Did you really think letting go of your fear and anger was that easy?" he asked, his voice sharp but calm. "Do you even understand the weight of what I'm saying?"
His words left the room in stunned silence.
Elion turned his gaze to Graviel, his golden eyes locking onto the Martial Deity's silver ones. For a moment, they stared at each other, the tension between them thick and unspoken.
He then stepped closer to the Dred, placing the blade against its throat. The creature squirmed, its distorted voice releasing strange, guttural sounds that sent fresh chills through the room.
"Well then," Elion said, his voice sharp with challenge. "What about you, old man? Can you do it? Can you kill it? Kill him?"
Graviel's expression didn't change at first, but Elion saw it—the faintest flicker of pain crossing his face. His gaze remained fixed on the Dred, his silence heavy with meaning.
Finally, Graviel spoke, his voice low and steady. "No. You're the one who must do it."
Elion tilted his head slightly, his smile fading. He could see the truth in Graviel's eyes—the sorrow, the hesitation, the quiet battle raging within him. He's not just hesitating because it's Kaelan. It's what he's seeing.
Elion exhaled slowly. "As you wish."
With a single, swift motion, he drove the blade through the Dred's neck, the sword slicing cleanly through. As the creature's head toppled to the floor, black ichor spraying across the marble in sickening spurts, the system's message popped up in front of Elion's eyes, giving him a sense of nostalgia.
Ding! [You have successfully killed a Dred] [You have leveled up!] [Tap to view more message.]
For a moment, Elion's mind fell in confusion. More message? That's new…
But before Elion could pressed it or anyone could react to what they were seeing, the air shifted.
A shadow appeared in the hall, coalescing into the form of a man who knelt in one fluid motion. His black robes absorbed the light, his face hidden behind a mask that revealed only piercing gray eyes.
"Rendall," Graviel said sharply.
"Lord Graviel," Rendall said, his voice low and urgent. "Something strange has happened."
"Speak."
"In Dandelion City… the people… they're transforming into creatures—things I cannot describe. They're attacking citizens. The city is in chaos."
The room fell deathly silent as Rendall's words sank in.
Elion tightened his grip on his sword, his golden eyes narrowing, and a wide grin forming on his lips.