VROOOOOOOM!

The space shook as the black hole slammed into his crossed hands.

Old Grey reacted as fast as lightning, crossing both arms as the space around his back shattered apart.

Thick golden veins burst out from beneath his skin, giving him horrifying strength, yet his eyes widened when he felt himself still being forced back.

SHRIIIIIIIING!

RIIIIIIIIIIP!

The sound of a sword leaving its sheath rang out as a beam of black hole cleaved forward towards the black hole that pushed against Old Grey, severing it into two.

He paused, a single breath escaping his lips, before turning his eyes forward.

There, he was just in time to see the body of one of the mercenaries he had been fighting drop lifelessly onto the Void, his eyes crossing with those of Old Grey, still filled with disbelief, before all light was lost from him.

The remaining two mercenaries instantly shot away from him, appearing more than 10 miles away, looking at White, who casually lowered his hands.

"Giving a black hole to a Limitless Boy? Your ability to court death amazes me."

White said, rolling his eyes at them like they were fools.

"He... He killed Suron?"

One of the mercenaries said, unable to believe his eyes, turning to White, who didn’t have that much of a change in his expression as he stared right at them with a soul-piercing gaze.

Somehow, something about his eyes seemed to be luring them. As if asking them to try and make a move, to try and avenge one of their own fallen.

Their years of experience immediately allowed them to see that, and in the next moment, both of them floated backwards, before turning into beams of light that disappeared into the distance.

In the end, they had chosen to abandon their own and make a run for it instead.

’Not a bad choice....’

White thought quietly.

If they had tried to take revenge or shown even the slightest killing intent, he would have killed them both.

He’s learned his lesson from almost getting killed by Inumaki and Rukun.

Hate, no matter how minor, clearly directed towards him, was something he would never allow to exist from anyone.

With them gone, White ignored the corpse going down the Void, joining with the rest of the team, but then he watched them all get into a combat stance.

The sight of that made him pause, and he raised an eyebrow.

’Behind me!?’

The thought occurred to White, and he swiftly turned his back, but... There was nothing.

That forced him to turn back, and he noticed them staring right at him in caution and angst.

"Are you all alright?"

White asked, wondering why the sudden angst.

"You almost killed Old Grey!"

The woman with the sword shouted, her hands gripping tightly at the sheath.

White turned to look at Old Grey in that moment, and his eyebrows creased, looking at the slight redness in his hands.

[When you unleashed the black hole, it continued moving to Old Grey.]

The system panel flashed, and a gleam of surprise crossed through White’s eyes.

He never expected that his simple finger flick of the black hole would continue so far back, even after instantly killing a Cosmic Rank awakener.

"Lower your sword, Daphne. It’s a mistake..."

Old Grey said to the woman, who stared at White, who clearly had the same confusion as them, before her hands relaxed, leaving the hilt of her sword.

She had seen the black hole continue toward Old Grey and thought it was White deciding to kill Old Grey, but seeing the confusion he also had, it was clear she had misjudged things a bit.

But as for why she misjudged him...?

"The mercenaries may have left, but our mission remains..."

Old Grey said, turning back to look at the Tower in the Void.

"Go bring that tower down..."

He said, and immediately, all four rushed into the distance.

White wanted to follow, but then he noticed Old Grey didn’t follow them, and that made him pause.

The man’s eyes turned towards him, then looked away and at the corpse of one of the Su brothers, which was still falling into the Void.

"You killed a late-rank Cosmic Rank with a simple flick. You’ve been hiding your true strength from Humanity Ascension and the Supreme Commanders."

"If not, they wouldn’t ask you to come with me while saying you were just here to watch."

He said, staring at White in caution.

"Actually, that wasn’t a simple flick."

"The black hole came from the fastest attacks that all three of them could unleash, and the destruction created a black hole."

"That black hole ought to be nothing but a consequence of such power, but with Limitless, I was able to constrict all the power of those three, keeping it locked within the black hole, then further compressing that black hole into a tiny ball."

"Even if I didn’t flick the ball and just let it go forward, it would still have no problem killing a late-rank Cosmic Rank. At least a fake one like those mercenaries would have no hope."

He explained.

"As for hiding my strength, you’re going to have to see the Supreme Commanders for that. They’re the ones who made me, after all. They know best what I’m capable of."

White said, before his wings appeared and he flapped them, running after the rest of the squad.

Old Grey remained, and after a while, the explosion set forth into the distance as the entire tower slowly began tumbling to the ground, but his brows remained creased.

At first, even Old Grey himself had thought White had attacked him with that black hole because he had asked Leo not to help him.

As for the reason he had told Leo not to help him, it wasn’t because he had a previous feud with the horned man and wanted him gone.

No.

It was because he had chosen to stay back and watch them fight instead of joining in.

Even if his mission was just to watch, Old Grey expected him to have their back, but he had done nothing but hide away like a coward.

That was why he had stopped Leo from helping him when he was attacked, too.