"You see, Cult Master..."

Mauriss muttered while slowly leaning back against his chair, as the crazed amusement lingering within his eyes gradually faded into something colder and significantly more dangerous.

"Just like how you possess very little tolerance for threats directed toward your children, I possess very little tolerance for threats directed toward myself.

The difference between us however is that while you place emotional value upon familial bonds and attachments...

I place that same value upon my own existence instead."

A twisted smile slowly spread across his face while rain clouds rumbled far above the Eternal Garden’s distant skies.

"And unfortunately, your son has now openly declared his intention to kill both Clarence and myself someday.

Which means..."

Mauriss tilted his head slightly while staring directly toward Mairon.

"...that you and I will most likely stand on opposite sides of a battlefield eventually."

His smile widened further.

"Honestly speaking, that outcome is rather unfortunate for you, because I genuinely believe the two of us had tremendous potential to become useful allies."

Mauriss explained calmly, as beside him, Leo suddenly let out a low chuckle before slowly shaking his head.

"Don’t try playing your little mind games with my son, Deceiver.

At least not while I’m standing right beside him."

Leo replied calmly while his gray eyes remained locked onto Mauriss without wavering even slightly.

"Mairon might still be too young and inexperienced to fully understand how people like you operate beneath the surface... 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

But I’m not."

A dangerous calm gradually settled within Leo’s voice while even the surrounding atmosphere of the Eternal Garden seemed to grow heavier.

"I can see straight through you."

Leo continued while intertwining his fingers together atop the stone table calmly.

"There was never any realistic possibility for us to become allies the moment Kaelith died, and you know that very well yourself."

Leo said, as Mauriss maintained a perfectly neutral expression hearing those words.

Outwardly, he pretended as though the theory Leo was spouting made no sense, and yet, internally, he already understood Leo’s conclusion was almost entirely correct.

"The Dragons are currently our allies.

The Great Clan Gods are our enemies.

And neither myself nor the Cult possesses any particular affection toward you whatsoever."

Leo explained steadily while Mauriss quietly listened without interrupting him.

"The only genuine opportunity you ever had to align yourself beside the Cult existed before Kaelith’s death.

Back when the universe still feared the Righteous Alliance enough for your support to carry actual strategic value."

Leo leaned slightly forward while his eyes sharpened faintly.

"However, now that Kaelith, Ru Vassa, and Yu Kiro are already gone...

There’s no longer anything valuable enough that you can offer us to justify trusting someone like you."

For several moments, Mauriss simply stared toward Leo silently with a perfectly unreadable expression upon his face.

Then eventually, he smiled.

A thin smile.

One carrying neither amusement nor warmth.

"And here I thought this meeting would remain civil."

Mauriss muttered lightly, as Leo merely shrugged in response.

"You also lied about why you wanted to meet my son.

You never wanted to recruit him.... Oh hell no.

You wanted to meet my son because you hoped to manipulate him the same way you manipulated Kaelith all those years ago."

Leo continued calmly while Mairon’s gaze immediately shifted sharply toward Mauriss.

"However fortunately for me, I did a significantly better job raising my children than the Timeless Assassin did with Soron and Kaelith."

A faint smirk appeared briefly across Leo’s face while Mauriss’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"My children aren’t nearly as easy to manipulate.

And unlike the Timeless Assassin, I’m not forgiving enough to tolerate threats directed toward them lightly."

The atmosphere surrounding the stone table gradually became suffocatingly tense while distant waves continued crashing endlessly against the Eternal Garden’s cliffs below.

"So from this day onward, you should watch your back carefully, Deceiver."

Leo warned quietly while slowly rising from his chair.

"Because you never truly know when the Cult may decide to come for you next.

With my dagger aiming straight for your throat."

Leo threatened before standing up, as the moment he stood up, the stone table and chairs immediately dissolved back into loose mana particles, forcing Mauriss to rise as well.

"I suggest you leave now, Lord Mauriss...

Before I decide that attacking you here sounds more enjoyable than continuing this conversation some other day."

Leo declared calmly, as for several moments, Mauriss simply stared at him silently before suddenly bursting into laughter once more.

"Hahahaha!

You really are becoming more and more like the Timeless Assassin every single year, Skyshard.

If I squinted my eyes enough and just sensed your aura instead of looking at your face, I could mistake you for him."

Mauriss muttered, while shaking his head.

"But we all know how the Timeless Assassin’s story ended? Don’t we?"

He threatened, while wiping imaginary tears from his eyes dramatically.

"Honestly speaking, I almost feel nostalgic."

He muttered while raising one hand casually toward empty space beside him.

*FSHHHH*

A fourth dimensional void tore open instantly beside Mauriss while violent spatial energy distorted the surrounding air.

"It feels like the time when we plotted to take another Cult Master down."

He muttered, before slowly walking towards the portal.

"Well then...

Until next time then... Skyshard."

He said at last, however, just before fully entering the dimensional tunnel, he briefly turned his head back toward Leo and Mairon one final time.

And the deranged smile lingering across his face in that moment told both father and son the exact same thing clearly—

That this conflict was far from over.

And that although Mauriss was retreating peacefully today, the next time time they saw the Deceiver, it was going to be anything but peaceful.

*Shhhh*

The Dimensional Portal closed soon after, as only then did Mairon let out a complicated sigh.

As although Leo seemed to have handled things today, somewhere deep down Mairon could not help but wonder if he had made things unnecessarily difficult for the Cult and his father because of his loud mouth.