Indeed, just when all the Rukh in Malik’s ring had run out, and he braced himself for the inevitable shift back to his aged form, his appearance remained exactly as it was.

Golden hair, smooth skin, and a strong frame.

He waited and waited, yet nothing had changed.

’Why?’

Malik blinked at his reflection in the polished floor, then looked down at the ring on his pinky.

’Was I helped by something? A Holy Relic?’

Though he did not know how or why, he understood that while the ring had run out of stored Rukh, his Soul itself still had an overflow of it.

That made it seem like something nearby was feeding him Rukh directly while he was none the wiser.

Standing up from the throne, he looked around the hall, searching for who—or rather what—might have helped him maintain his transformation beyond its expected limit.

But seconds after he rose to his feet, he felt the Rukh inside him begin to quickly dissipate.

His fingers tingled, and he could sense the change coming, crashing back down on him.

’Oh, was it the throne?’

Immediately realizing it, he turned and looked at the Golden Throne once more, studying its metal surface.

Ding!

It was indeed.

—

╔═══════════════════╗

║NEW HOLY RELIC ACQUIRED!║

╚═══════════════════╝

[Holy Relic — Golden Throne]

[Description:

A cold throne that witnessed the world and its truth...

"I’m of Al-Assad. We are Lions. Do you know why we are called such?"

And the birth of its final Sultan through a maddening Ascension.

"Because even the True Sultan Himself recognized us as more. ’He’ knew us to be special."

The Sultan of Blood and Fire.

"I was upon the Sword of Guidance at no more than thirteen. That year, I slew a Roc. Then an entire army of bandits fell beneath me. Twenty years later, I became a Veil of the Unseen, breaking even Solomon’s record."

A white forever-burning fire.

"I led a war—and won. I marched North and crushed a most hated man, winning a great victory. I returned South and razed the Academy, killing its king. That very night, I became a Balancer of Scales, after enduring millions of years of Hell. When I returned, I faced Cyrus..."

One that was most unbelievable.

"I killed the Former Sultan. Without a break, I then cast myself again into the pit you all fear."

One that was most impossible.

"After the unfathomable, I cut what plagued us for millennia: the roots of Corruption itself."

Yet true nevertheless.]

—

Looking at that very long description, many thoughts went through Malik’s head.

He now understood that the throne was what had helped him retain his appearance.

As long as he sat on the Golden Throne, his Soul would remain overloaded with Rukh.

While the description hadn’t mentioned a single thing about its capabilities, like always with anything obtained from the system, he automatically understood its function.

But no, Malik was not thinking about that.

Instead, he was questioning the speaker’s identity, the one whose words were etched into the Holy Relic’s description.

’Is that supposed to be me...?’

Ding!

—

╔═════════════╗

║TRAIT UNLOCKED!║

╚═════════════╝

[Trait — Misunderstood Villain]

[Description: A title that once described the Sultan of Blood and Fire.]

—

’It seems so.’

Malik stared at the screen, and he almost felt his body cringe at the grandiose words.

’I’ve done a lot and all, but I might’ve been a bit edgy, hm?’

No doubt those lines had been said in a tense moment of sorts, probably to intimidate someone.

But reading them now, stripped of context and written out in cold text, did not feel... right.

It felt like reading someone else’s diary, and that ’someone’ was somehow your younger self.

In any case, it seemed that he finally knew of his most well-known accomplishments.

He had been one of the youngest to ever become a Class Eight, had slain a very strong beast, had destroyed an army of bandits, and had broken records set by a very important figure.

The rest was even more impressive, leading a war, crushing a hated enemy, razing an Academy, and becoming a Class Five after enduring a torturous existence for millions of years. Or, at least, what felt like millions of years.

Malik was old, sure, but not that old.

Anyhow, two things stood out above the rest.

Had Malik truly killed the Former Sultan?

Why would he do that?

He saw no reason.

’I’m sure I wasn’t the type that wanted power.’

Though the memory was still buried too deep to be certain, he was sure of who he was.

And he had cut the roots of Corruption itself?

Was that what those invaders and Dunya had meant?

Him cutting those roots in the pits of Hell and his subsequent Ascension to Angelhood had caused the entire world to change that drastically?

’I might be a much, much bigger deal than expected.’

Though he was currently weak, wielding a mere fraction of the power described in that throne’s description, Malik had to make sure never to forget his status.

The Sultan of Blood and Fire.

The one who had faced Cyrus.

The one who had cut the roots of Corruption.

That was him...

Eventually, at least.

Once his Runes were unlocked and his memories returned.

Thankfully, however, low self-esteem did not seem like it was going to be a problem.

Malik was constantly met with more and more ridiculous things about his past self, each revelation more absurd than the last.

That alone easily stopped such a thing from happening.

In fact, what now attracted his attention was more ridiculous than nearly all that had passed.

Outside one of the large hall windows, far down on the ground below the palace, he saw tiny dark shapes.

Shapes that looked like...

’Trees of Death.’