(Somewhere in deep space, Kaelith’s POV)

Ru Vassa’s severed head spun endlessly through the void of space while divine essence burst wildly from the wound around her neck, as Kaelith watched the entire sequence unfold with disbelief visible across his face.

The battle had barely lasted a few seconds, and yet within those few seconds, Ru Vassa had already died before she could even properly understand what was happening.

Initially, Kaelith genuinely expected her to block Leo’s strike successfully despite being caught off guard, because regardless of circumstance, Ru Vassa was still a God whose instincts and reactions stood at the peak of the universe.

Which was why the true shock for Kaelith was not the strike itself, but the fact that her spell suddenly failed at the critical moment when she tried defending herself.

Because throughout his countless years of existence, Kaelith had never once witnessed a God failing to conjure divine essence while casting a spell.

And yet before he could even fully process that anomaly, his eyes landed upon the curved dagger resting within Leo’s hand, as instantly, his entire expression stiffened.

That blade.

The moment Kaelith saw it clearly, a violent sense of danger immediately exploded inside his mind, because he recognized the weapon almost instantly.

"Soron’s Origin Dagger... The Grudgekeeper?"

Kaelith muttered slowly, as for the first time since arriving above Planet Satoru, genuine instability surfaced across his face.

However, even that shock quickly became secondary compared to the realization that followed afterward.

Because while replaying the battle inside his mind, Kaelith suddenly understood how Leo appeared behind Ru Vassa moments earlier.

[Seconds Walk]!

Leo had used [Seconds Walk]!

The very technique Kaelith himself spent thousands of years trying to comprehend, yet never truly managing to master despite all his talent, effort, and obsession toward understanding it completely.

And now, just watching Leo execute that movement flawlessly while still merely standing at the Demi God realm felt like a direct slap across Kaelith’s face.

’Is there some hidden secret behind that move that I still don’t understand?

Did father intentionally leave something behind exclusively for the next Cult Master?

Some key insight that looks simple once understood, yet remains forever out of my reach?’

Kaelith wondered internally, as memories from his younger years suddenly resurfaced inside his mind one after another.

Memories of the exact moment Soron first mastered that skill.

The exact moment the balance between the two brothers shifted permanently for the first time in their lives, as from that day onward, Soron was no longer merely talented.

He became untouchable.

The clearly superior warrior.

And because Kaelith himself never managed to learn that technique afterward despite all his efforts, a part of him never truly believed himself worthy of standing alone at the peak of the universe the same way his father and brother once did.

As suddenly, the confidence Kaelith spent thousands of years building around himself cracked slightly beneath the surface once again.

Because despite being called the Eternal Sovereign, despite ruling countless worlds, despite ascending into Godhood itself, Kaelith still felt painfully aware that compared to true monsters like Soron and Leo, he fell short in the one thing he valued most.

"You..."

Kaelith muttered, as his pupils visibly constricted while staring toward Leo.

"How do you possess that blade?"

His voice lowered dangerously afterward.

"And where the hell did you learn [Seconds Walk]?"

However before Leo could even answer, Leonardo and Dumpy launched attacks toward Kaelith simultaneously from opposite directions.

"[Sky Breaker]," Leonardo declared, as spatial pressure compressed violently around Kaelith from above while the surrounding void distorted beneath the force of the strike.

"RIBBIT!"

Dumpy roared furiously afterward, as he unleashed a corrosive spit ball from his gigantic body while poison fumes flooded the surrounding battlefield rapidly.

*BOOOOOOM*

Kaelith immediately raised his arm to block both attacks while retreating several kilometers backward through space, as by this point, he had already made his decision internally.

’Must retreat today....’

He thought, as although countless questions now raced through his mind simultaneously, Kaelith understood clearly that remaining here any longer without fully understanding Leo’s abilities would be reckless.

Especially after witnessing Ru Vassa die instantly.

And so, without wasting another second, Kaelith immediately tore open a fourth dimensional portal before stepping directly into it, choosing to retreat first and sort through the situation later.

However, the very moment Kaelith entered the fourth dimension, his expression changed completely.

Because waiting for him there already was Veyr.

And just seeing him standing there shattered Kaelith’s thoughts instantly, because chance encounters within the fourth dimension were practically impossible unless someone deliberately waited at a specific location beforehand.

Which meant this entire situation had been planned from the very beginning.

"What...?"

Kaelith muttered, as genuine surprise surfaced across his face.

"What are you doing here?"

He questioned, as before him stood Veyr in his true form as the Dragon Of The Cult instead of being disguised as General Sparrow, while the Dragon merely looked into Kaelith’s eyes and chuckled softly.

"You know..."

Veyr began casually, as he slowly twirled his sword once beside his shoulder.

"When Leo told me that you would immediately try to run away like a coward the moment Ru Vassa died, I honestly didn’t believe him at first."

A faint grin spread across his face afterward.

"After all, I spent quite a bit of time around you back in the Eternal Garden, and back then, you looked like a pretty fearless guy to me."

His eyes narrowed slightly afterward.

"However, it seems Leo understands you much better than you understand yourself."

Veyr chuckled again afterward before continuing.

"He told me something interesting before the battle started."

His sword lowered slightly afterward.

"He said.... ’Veyr, even a mouse behaves like a lion while hiding inside its own burrow.’ "

Kaelith’s expression darkened slightly hearing those words.

"And honestly..."

Veyr continued calmly.

"I guess he was completely right."

"Because the moment you dragged that mouse outside its hole..."

"...all it really knew how to do was run away."

A mocking smile spread slowly across his face afterward.

"Unless of course it still had an army of mice standing behind it."

Veyr insulted, as Kaelith’s eyes widened slightly afterward, as finally, he understood the full extent of Leo’s trap.

From the very beginning, this battlefield itself had been carefully selected to seal off his retreat path through the fourth dimension while allowing Veyr to remain hidden beyond ordinary perception beforehand.

As while initially, Leo himself did not even expect Kaelith and Ru Vassa to willingly follow him this far away from Planet Satoru.

Because of the silly offer he made to Leo at the start, he had made his life that much easier.

As if not for that, Leo’s initial plan was to play defence and lure him to this spot before revealing his true strength. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

However, because the two of them cooperated so willingly, Leo never had to fake being weak, and could kill Ru Vassa from the start, leading to this fight being the way it is now.

"Do you really think I’m scared of a bunch of Demi Gods?"

Kaelith fired back, as he unleashed a dagger slash towards Veyr.

However, the Demi God blocked it with ease and said.

"I don’t think so.... I know so. Because if not, why would you run away like a coward?"