Few days earlier...

Zenith Empire, State 1, Imperial Capital – Zenith City.

Zenith City was a massive and prosperous metropolis whose scale alone surpassed the imagination of ordinary people.

Towering national structures stretched across the city like monuments of civilization itself.

The grand Legislative Hall, the House of Commons, the Supreme Imperial Court, colossal Magic Towers, foreign embassies belonging to other nations and races, the National Adventurer’s Association, and countless other institutions stood proudly throughout the capital.

At the center of this enormous city rested the Imperial Palace.

However, calling it merely a palace would have been an insult to its scale.

It was practically a second city hidden within the first, protected by countless barriers, and elite guards.

Only specially authorized individuals were permitted entry into its deeper regions.

Within the Imperial Palace, inside a Sealed Training Chamber.

A terrifying pressure distorted the surrounding laws of the world themselves.

At the center of that pressure stood a single man with long white hair and a lean build, calmly practicing within the chamber as though the terrifying force surrounding him was completely natural.

Suddenly, a shadow emerged silently from the ground and conveyed information to the man.

Piercing white eyes slowly opened for the first time in a long while.

Moments later, the sealed doors of the chamber opened as two figures entered.

"Disciple of the Great Shaman and this child... he carries the ancestral mark of Mab’uk." the white-haired man muttered while observing Bonjour carefully.

The final word was spoken in Ancient Barbarian language.

"Your fluency has improved greatly," Elder Gurath remarked after hearing him.

"Not only my fluency, I have advanced greatly in strength as well. Tell me honestly... how do I compare to that man now?" the white-haired man replied calmly.

The moment he spoke, his full pressure descended toward Gurath.

The surroundings remained perfectly intact.

Nothing visibly changed.

Yet Gurath felt as though the entire world itself had begun pressing down upon him. A terrifying aura capable of taking his life at any moment surrounded the chamber.

"...You can definitely kill me now, but against that being, you are still lacking, his title as the Great Guardian is not for nothing." Gurath admitted with slight difficulty.

"Now stop this already. I came here on official business."

"Hahaha... and you still bother following diplomatic courtesy," the white-haired man laughed softly before withdrawing his pressure.

Gurath sighed deeply.

Both of them belonged to the same generation, yet the man before him had already surpassed nearly all of his peers.

Turning his attention toward Bonjour, the white-haired man asked.

"Little one, I heard you’ve been attending the school established by that old man. How is it these days?"

"Well... it’s not bad," Bonjour replied honestly.

"Though I’m still waiting for my duel..."

Then, for the next several minutes, he enthusiastically described everything that had happened at the school, including the dungeon incident and the fact that he had become acquainted with the Empire’s princess herself.

The white-haired man’s eyes sharpened slightly at those words.

However, the more Bonjour continued speaking, the colder the man’s expression gradually became.

"...So the attack did not harm her?" he asked at last.

"No. Although an undead tried to kidnap her, Caelum stopped it before it could succeed," Bonjour finished proudly.

’What exactly is happening?’ the man thought inwardly.

’The activity of Outer Gods should have faded long before I was even born yet the situation with her had changed, has a new one appeared?’

His expression hardened slightly.

However, another thought soon became more important to him.

’So someone protected Anastasia and she seems to regard him highly.’

Despite those thoughts, his face remained neutral.

"Your emotional fluctuations are becoming increasingly unstable," Gurath commented with a faintly mischievous smile.

"Do you require assistance?"

The white-haired man snorted lightly.

"You are the one who likely needs my help," he replied.

"Most likely, justification... or perhaps indirect support to stop the internal conflict among your people."

Gurath’s smile faded.

"Well... the situation has worsened significantly. Ever since the emergence of Conquest, nearly one-third of the council has begun striving for war against the western lands through the Zenith Empire."

"What?" This time, genuine surprise appeared in the white-haired man’s eyes.

However, he quickly regained composure.

"So you came here to discuss the division of conquered territory?" he asked.

"No. Stop twisting the conversation," Gurath said with visible irritation.

"The majority rejected that proposal, but tensions remain high because Conquest appeared within that faction."

The white-haired man suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"...Did you know that you were marked."

"What?!" Gurath exclaimed in shock.

The man casually raised his hand.

Black smoke immediately emerged from Gurath’s body before evaporating completely.

"What exactly is your plan?" the white-haired man asked calmly.

"Knowing you, I refuse to believe you failed to notice such a mark."

Surprisingly, Gurath did not appear overly alarmed either.

"Well after lengthy arguments, both sides reached a temporary agreement, so the situation is currently like this..." Gurath explained his plan in detail.

"Haa... so what you truly require is merely justification," the white-haired man muttered thoughtfully.

"I originally assumed I would need to awaken several old people for this matter."

Then his gaze shifted toward Bonjour once more, specifically toward the markings covering the boy’s chest and shoulders.

"...Still, I must admit I am curious, three out of the six ancestral pillars of your race have already appeared within this era, and two of them emerged within the same family."

’How can such a weak child carry the Mark of Death?’ he thought inwardly, thinking that fate truly worked in mysterious ways.

Meanwhile, far away from the palace, inside an enormous inn that functioned more like a gathering place for foreign races within the capital, countless species could be seen interacting freely.

Elves argued calmly with stubborn dwarves, beastfolk chatted loudly among themselves, fairies drifted through the air, while few giants stood in the background and barbarians occupied several tables.

At a corner table sat a lone man hidden beneath a cloak.

Though he was actually a barbarian, he was currently disguised as a human.

"The connection was severed," he muttered quietly while lowering his cup.

"As expected, deceiving a man who has nearly reached the pinnacle of this world was never going to succeed."

Still, he did not seem disappointed.

His original objective had already been completed.

"So... the next destination will be the Imperial Zenith School."