"How?" That was the single thing that Galenight first asked as he stopped everything else he was doing and began to probe his surroundings. His will flexed and clashed with the one locking the space, and he almost flinched.

’....is this? Who the actual fuck is this person? They’re strong! I can’t even attempt to engage in a fight of will...’

Galenight felt a faint tremble in his heart. As a Grandmaster who’s leading a regional branch of an organization, he’s very secure in his power and security. He had never felt like this since he reached the Grandmaster rank!

Fear! He actually felt fear. The person must be a late or even High Grandmaster!

"Who are you?" Galenight demanded, his eyes narrowed. Although he was feeling fear, it was just naturally his body encountering something stronger than him. Naturally, he isn’t one to cower in the face of danger, and it has helped him so far.

"So you are Galenight." A cold voice said. The voice was aged and yet still contained strong intent.

Directly in front of Galenight, an elder appeared. Long white hair and a beard, and a focused face. The elder looked at him.

Galenight bowed. "Greetings!"

Galenight guessed that the Grandmaster must have been watching the whole battle since morning. They must have been nearby and drawn by the clash of power.

But then a terrible idea suddenly bloomed....what if this elder had been lying in wait for him? That would mean...that would mean!

Dozens of ideas flashed through his head and were dismissed as he waited. The man was actually a High Grandmaster. It was not a power that Galenight could fight against. It should be one to escape from, though.

But Galenight didn’t immediately do anything. He was also curious as to why the man was there.

The elder looked around him, muttering. "The Beloved isn’t going to like it at all."

Galenight grimaced but didn’t say anything.

"You really did wipe them out. I wonder why the Hollow Grave decided to do this....or is the decision just from you?"

Galenight froze, his caution rising rapidly. The elder knew where he was from! Tension slowly filled the air, and still Galenight didn’t do anything.

The reason was that he did not know if the elder was a foe or friend. With him knowing about Hollow Grave, though, then it would be one of the two, with no middle ground!

Galenight bowed even deeper and removed his mask. His face was pale, his skin tight and stringy. He appeared quite ordinary, if not for the way his skin looked so tight. "Can I ask...which elder I am talking to?"

Although that was what he said, his meaning was, ’Which faction do you belong to? Are you a friend? Why are you here?’

The elder smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "I am Grandmaster Litos."

Galenight stiffened when he heard that. His face froze. He knew about this Grandmaster. He’s quite popular and powerful among the Grandmaster ranks around here. People in the Grandmaster rank, especially if they are in organizations or Clans, like to keep their identities and powers unknown. It’s a good strategy, but these organizations or Clans still need a show of power. Thus, they would put forward two or so powerful Knights to serve as their face.

Grandmaster Litos is an elder in High Clan Akakawa. And currently, it is this same Clan that’s in charge of ’maintaining’ peace in the Hinterlands.

The Grandmaster has been chosen and deployed directly into the Hinterlands. When he first came to the Hinterlands, Galenight was part of those who sent gifts to him as a welcome. But strangely, he has remained so passive for so long that he’s often overlooked.

The only move he made recently was sending his clone to destroy some walls of the Athrimir Clan!

With the battle name Surging Frost, the man is known as a very formidable Grandmaster and cornerstone of Akakawa Clan. Deploying him showed how important they viewed things here.

The man seemed pleased. "So you’ve heard of me. I’ve also heard of you, Galenight. You are hailed as a genius with boundless potential, but after your accident, you’ve been sent here to this forgotten place, and your power has stalled since."

Galenight grimaced. The man truly knew more than he expected about Hollow Grave and its workings. He even knew about Galenight! "Ahaha! You jest, Grandmaster. This is just a test from my superiors!"

Grandmaster Litos gave him a strange look. "Indeed. And you have done a really good job here. I don’t think I’ve seen a more competent cleanup before. The disturbance could be felt throughout the space of the Hinterlands!"

The man laughed.

Galenight blinked. He understood what Grandmaster Litos wasn’t saying: that he had caused such a disturbance without notifying him. He quickly bowed again. "It just happened so fast, and we had to act. I assure you, Grandmaster Litos, Hollow Grave will compensate you to your satisfaction."

Grandmaster Litos wore a solemn look. "Worry not. Your organization already settled with me. What I just couldn’t get was what the uproar was all about. Your organization is keeping a tight lid on things. You people from Hollow Grave are really keeping things from the rest of us."

Terror washed over Galenight in an instant.

Grandmaster Litos had already spoken with his higher-ups? He had been compensated? Yet none of this was reported to Galenight! In that moment, he understood everything.

Hollow Grave did not want to provoke the Beloved at the moment, but at the same time they had to sweep the Hinterlands of the local powers. They had to do it, but in a way that wouldn’t draw trouble to them!

The best option was to eliminate everything, including the Hollow Grave branch, putting all the blame on an external force. A third party. Which was where Grandmaster Litos came in.

The man could easily take the blame, and the Beloved organization would look away because...the Hinterlands isn’t their territory! It would be another matter entirely if it was an organization. But around the Clans, the organizations cannot behave so boldly.

All these thoughts flashed through Galenight’s mind, and he wasn’t really that surprised. In fact, he should have expected it. It’s just the nature of Hollow Grave!

The reason Galenight was willing to commit to this was because he expected the backing of his higher-ups, but now...things were really different.

Galenight looked at the Grandmaster, his face as grave as his voice. "Grandmaster Litos, I was once a member of Hollow Grave, and now that things have turned out this way...."

As the hands of interest shifted, so too did the hands of loyalty. Without even blinking, Galenight stomped on the organization he had been in for so long. His only concern now was his survival! Nothing more.

Grandmaster Litos sneered. "Don’t bother. Even I know everyone in Hollow Grave is bound by enchantments and can’t easily spill their secrets. No, you can’t do so at all. It’s all the same for some of us."

The bigger the organization or Clan, the higher the rank of an individual, the more bindings are placed on them to safeguard secrets.

Galenight smiled sadly. "Is that so? You’ve been paid to kill me."

Grandmaster Litos opened his mouth to speak, but Galenight chose that moment to attack.

He instantly exploded into his True Form, and even before that was complete, different beams of light were already shooting at the stunned Grandmaster Litos.

Boom!

The ground shook, and a small mushroom cloud of an explosion surged upward.

Galenight instantly pressed his advantage. He turned around and fled. Utilizing the power of his True Form, he sped away like a shooting star.

And yet, an annoyed voice suddenly sounded. "Technique—Frost! Domain Technique—Time of Ice!"

Domain techniques are insane area effects.

Instantly, the ground frosted over, the sky froze, and the clouds appeared like ice chunks.

The speeding Galenight suddenly found his speed decreasing. His body grew heavy, and without hesitation, he fell from the sky!

The Domain Technique—Time of Ice did not just target non-living things. It’s a spell made specifically to restrain and stall enemies. In fact, other techniques in the domain are slower and weaker.

"Why do you run so?" an irritated voice said. Grandmaster Litos floated over casually, his eyes like ice. "Although you can’t speak of secrets, you can still drop clues."

Galenight, fighting the ice in his body, instantly asked, his voice setting the air on edge as his countless voices spoke at once. "And you won’t kill me?"

Even as he asked this hopeless question, he was resisting with the ice essence from the heads, as well as the fire technique. He was biding his time. His chance of beating Grandmaster Litos was impossible, but he wasn’t aiming for that.

He wanted to run!

Although the two were Grandmasters, the gap in level between them was like heaven and earth.

Grandmaster Litos shook his head, his face accurately showing his regret. "I’ll still kill you. But it’ll be simple."