While Asher was sharing his mastery with his other vessels...

Grimwood Continent.

In the innermost region of the continent.

The innermost region was filled with enormous mountains that stretched beyond the clouds and colossal trees that reached several kilometers into the sky. Some of those towering trees were not plants at all, but living beings that had reached an extraordinarily high rank.

This region was home to the strongest and deadliest beasts on the entire planet.

At the very center of the innermost region stood a colossal mountain. Deep within one of its caves, a dragon lay sleeping.

His eyes were closed, but they suddenly snapped open.

A look of surprise appeared on his face as he muttered,

"A new element?"

However, his surprise quickly turned into a grave expression, and he said in an enraged tone,

"That is not an element. What is that thing even doing in this world? It has no place here."

He stepped out of the cave and looked in Asher’s direction, where he had sensed the presence of that existence.

Even though more than ten thousand kilometers separated them, his gaze had already locked onto Asher, observing him from afar.

After a long moment, the dragon muttered,

"So it was you... just as I expected."

"But I suppose I was wrong about you."

"I underestimated you."

"I thought you were merely one of the fortunate few who somehow escaped that place, carrying nothing more than a will tainted by its influence."

"But I was wrong..."

"Far too wrong."

"You did not escape through luck."

"You carved your way out of that place."

"And in doing so..."

"You became one of them."

Silence filled the mountain.

The dragon’s expression grew increasingly solemn.

"A being capable of existing within the Abyss."

"A creature whose will no longer belongs entirely to this world."

"You have become something that can survive in a realm where even Wills cannot endure... where consciousness itself is slowly erased."

He narrowed his eyes.

"No... perhaps ’survive’ is the wrong word.

"You have adapted to it."

"You have become a creature acknowledged by the Abyss itself."

For the first time in countless years, unease appeared in the dragon’s ancient eyes.

"If that is truly the case..."

"Then the laws of this world no longer fully apply to you."

"And if you continue to grow..."

"There may come a day when even death itself will no longer have any meaning to your existence."

The dragon then said,

"I was planning to meet you sometime later to see what kind of human you truly are."

He paused before continuing,

"But I suppose the deal I made with that human will not be used for us to meet peacefully. Instead, that deal will be used to bring you before me... so I can kill you and send you back to the Abyss, where you truly belong now."

However, while he was observing Asher, something unexpected happened.

Asher suddenly looked directly toward him.

A surprised expression appeared on Asher’s face, but it was quickly replaced by a smile.

Then he opened his mouth and silently said something.

Although the dragon could not hear his voice across such an enormous distance, he easily understood what Asher had said.

Asher was smiling as he mouthed,

"Let’s meet soon."

The dragon’s expression turned to surprise.

A moment later, he scoffed.

"There is no need for us to meet."

"You are going back to the Abyss today."

"It is my duty to protect the balance of this world, and you are an existence that disrupts that balance."

The next moment, the dragon shot forward at an astonishing speed.

His enormous body crossed mountains and forests in an instant. At the speed he was traveling, he would reach Asher within only a few minutes.

"It does not matter if I have to fight those humans within their own territory."

"You are going to die today."

However, just as he continued flying, Asher made a disappointed expression.

In the very next moment, the dragon abruptly came to a halt.

His eyes widened.

He had suddenly sensed hundreds of different locations across the world, each emanating the exact same presence that Asher was releasing at this very moment.

The dragon’s expression twisted with even greater fury.

"You are even using that cursed technique."

His voice echoed across the mountains.

However, after a few moments, his expression gradually calmed.

"But..."

"How are you still sane after using that technique?"

"Every human who used that technique in the past eventually lost their mind."

"They all went insane."

Then, a look of realization appeared in his ancient eyes.

"I see..."

"I forgot."

"You are no longer human."

"That explains why you have remained sane despite using that technique."

"That technique was never meant for humans in the first place."

The dragon remained silent for a long moment before turning around.

"Very well."

"You survive today."

"Not because I cannot kill you..."

"But because you have become far too troublesome to kill."

"I will wait until we meet."

"And I hope... that when that day comes, we will not have to fight."

The dragon slowly looked toward the distant horizon before muttering,

"Because if we do..."

"You will not lose much."

"Even if I kill you, you will simply return to where you belong."

"And perhaps... someday, you will find your way back again."

He closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"But I..."

"I will lose far more than I could ever recover before that day comes."

With those final words, the dragon disappeared into the clouds, leaving only an overwhelming silence behind.

Meanwhile, Asher looked toward the direction from which the dragon had been coming before muttering,

"I guess beasts really do believe in peace... just like me."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"I’ve also discovered another application of this element."

"I can sense the will of other beings... and the direction in which their will is focused."

Asher then looked toward the moon before saying,

"But how did he sense me from such a great distance when even Saint Rank humans couldn’t?"