Chapter 1015

"...."

"Humans and their pursuit of knowledge all the time... it’s crazy to be honest, because in that pursuit of understanding, they have no idea the sort of trouble they are getting into.

The pain. The horror. The change."

’Er? I only asked for a mask removal, not a philosophical lesson, you mother...’ Grey thought, his patience wearing thin.

"Time and time again. Generation after generation, history keeps repeating itself. It started with us five, seeking for what wasn’t lost. There, we received boons. Each of us received magical blessings, therefore becoming what is now known as mages."

Grey was more than intrigued by what was being said.

He vividly recalled when he was summoned by the Emperor and had walked into the meeting room to see those strange paintings on the wall.

Five hooded individuals seated in a circle, engaged in a ritual of some kind.

’Wait... metal magic, teleportation magic... if the black-hooded figure I saw is this person, then he has a third affinity. He is a multi-elementalist!’

The figure then turned to look at the Supreme Magus with a chilling, unseen smile.

"Grey... You were not supposed to be this much of a problem."

"How wasn’t I supposed to be? Do you know all you have done?! Do you know the pain I have been through, the loss I have been through?! What has all this been for? Tell me!" Grey demanded with rising rage, glaring at the figure with a deep frown on his face.

"...."

"Death... bloodshed... they had all been for a cause, Grey."

’His voice... it’s so distorted, like a distant memory that I can’t seem to figure out if it’s male or female. And why....’

"Death? For a cause? Don’t bullshit me, damn it! You are an Original. I saw the feats the other four Originals achieved in their lifetime.

They helped humanity. They grew this world and Kingdom into what it is now. You could have been part of the saviors of humanity, yet what did you do?

You chose to cause bloodshed and try to justify it? You are a fucking mage! You should have upheld the dignity of being a mage, yet what are you doing?!"

Snapping his head to stare at the unmoving six, he glared at each and every one of them.

Though he couldn’t see their faces, it didn’t stop him from scowling at them all.

"VINCE! Where are you? Step forward now!" Grey ordered, as if he were the leader of the group.

None of the six moved nor twitched; they simply kept looking at the Supreme Magus lose his composure.

Clenching his jaws, he thundered once more.

"VINCE! I won’t repeat myself again! Stop these theatrics! You are my friend. How can you betray me and join hands with the enemy? I didn’t say anything the day you came because I was still confused. But now, if you don’t step forward, I will burn you to ash."

Flames roared around Grey’s hands as he glared at each and every one of the six individuals before him.

"Ah... hotheaded like always. Nineteen and yet still hotheaded. Your anger issues seem to have increased over the years."

Grey snapped his head toward the leader with a creasing frown on his face, veins throbbing at the side of his head.

"Don’t you dare speak like you know me! You don’t know me at all! We are enemies, and I will be burying you in a bit, so shut the fuck UP!"

"....."

Crackle—!

The sound of Grey’s flames was still moving and crackling in the air as the wind howled softly between them all.

Then, the wind paused.

It was frozen, as if it were held back by an unforeseen and unprecedented force.

"... Weren’t you taught? Respect your elders, kid. I’m sure you were taught but refused to adhere to those teachings."

Grey looked at the figure.

He was barely holding himself back from rushing at them, given how furious he felt from the inside.

His muscles were twitching by the second.

He could summon his men right now, but he didn’t want to just yet.

He was still trying to get the enemy to reveal all their cards.

So far, the leader had been confident enough to disclose that he possessed two separate affinities.

Above them, the hundreds of vessels hovering in the sky could still be seen clearly.

They hadn’t descended for some reason, choosing instead to orbit the sky around the perimeter of the wormhole as if they awaited a definitive command or the perfect timing to drop down.

Because of this, the warrior mage was completely unable to figure out the total volume of forces the enemy had brought to his doorstep.

He couldn’t afford to charge in recklessly until he knew everything he had to.

Glancing behind him for a fleeting moment at the house standing in the background, he clenched his jaws and turned back around, ready to cause absolute chaos, when his heart suddenly thudded violently against his ribs.

His pupils dilated in sheer shock as he stared into the dark shell of the mask belonging to the leader, who had appeared right in front of him as though he had always been standing there.

The entity materialized out of thin air, and within his grip?

Grey’s gaze sharpened as he caught sight of a pair of lightning swords crackling with lethal, dense intent.

They were already moving in mid-motion.

His heart froze.

He wasn’t fast enough to dodge.

He had always prided himself on his impeccable perception, but for some reason, he couldn’t sense this figure’s approach at all.

It was as if the man’s presence and underlying aura didn’t even exist to begin with.

Tchaaak—!

The first blade ripped through Grey’s midsection with brutal force, exiting out the other side.

The Supreme Magus’ mouth filled with copper-tasting fluid, which he ended up coughing out in sudden pain.

Without a pause, the second sword moved with the speed of light, piercing cleanly through Grey’s chest.

Blood dribbled down his chin and chest as the lightning sword embedded in his torso refused to dissipate, its energy humming dangerously.

The Supreme Magus staggered around for a fraction of a second, his hands instinctively lashing forward, ready to tear into the figure in front of him.

But just as quickly as he had approached, the man vanished from view entirely and reappeared right back where he had originally been standing by the throne.

"Let me grant your last wish," the figure spoke chillingly.

He reached up toward the horns embedded in his mask, grabbing the edges tightly.

Grey staggered unsteadily before collapsing onto his knees, fighting the intense pain while remaining anchored in his own pool of blood.

He kept his eyes locked onto the man, who was slowly pulling the mask off his face like he was conducting a gentle unboxing.

Three seconds later, the mask was totally removed.

The man swung his head slightly, allowing his short brown hair to cascade down freely.

Looking back across the space toward Grey, the Supreme Magus’ blurry vision began to focus heavily on the details of the man’s face.

He was now entirely certain of it—the figure was a man.

When his vision finally cleared, his heart skipped a dozen beats in a split second.

His eyes widened like someone who had just seen a ghost after believing for years that ghosts weren’t real.

It felt as though a physical thunderbolt had struck him inwardly; his breath caught in his throat as he stared at the familiar features.

His lips slowly moved, parting away as if he were trying to formulate words for the very first time in his life.

"D-D-D-Dad...?!"

The figure smiled softly, his expression entirely calm.

"Hey, son. Been a while."