Evan stepped out of the vine-covered cave, stones shifting off his clothes like falling leaves.
The nature wrapped around him wasn't decoration.
It was obedience of ability he got.
That was the power of
"This place is too small for me now," he whispered, looking at the Expanse as if it were a birdcage.
Arven snorted. "You talk like you've already ascended. Did those memories fry your brain?"
Evan smirked. "Relax. Let me enjoy the view once in my life. Feels nice to look down… even if it's temporary."
He summoned his undead eagle, its feathers flickering with a faint spiritual glow. It too was close to stepping beyond this Expanse, just like him.
Thanks to his physique, every undead under him continued to evolve in his shadow.
It was the closest thing to a perfect undead development cycle.
Arven shook his head. "You're definitely affected. Memories are leaking into your ego. Maybe I should clean them out. Where's that tool again…?"
Evan immediately backed off. "Nope. Don't touch anything! I'm not losing memories. I still need them. Every person. Every reason. Every promise."
He jumped onto the eagle and bolted upward.
Arven vanished and reappeared right in front of him midair with a smug grin.
Evan almost fell off. "Don't even think about it! I won't forget anyone. Not even if I fall into hell."
Arven hovered above him, arms crossed.
"Relax. I was messing with you. Finish your business so we can push forward."
Evan sighed. "Then don't make that serious face. Even jokes sound like funeral announcements coming from you."
"Not my fault," Arven muttered. "He made me like this."
Evan didn't reply, but deep inside, he knew exactly who that was.
Someone he had never met.
Someone he would meet one day... hopefully.
He leaned forward, eyes narrowing toward the town.
A Few Hours Later~~
The town stood under a grey sky, silent and hollow…as though every ounce of colour had been drained dry.
Evan dismissed his eagle and cloaked himself, vanishing like mist.
He scaled the wall silently, movements smooth and effortless, not even disturbing dust.
His eyes scanned the layout.
Guards. Guild units. Patrol formations.
'They're searching for someone.'
His lips curved.
"The bait is still inside."
Arven's voice echoed in his mind.
"Presence similar to Velma's aura is on the west side. Move."
Evan was already sprinting.
Within seconds, he reached the opposite wall and froze atop it.
Below, between narrow streets, two figures stood ready to tear the world apart.
Their aura alone forced debris to slide back and lanterns to flicker.
'Perfect timing,' Evan thought.
The #0th Adventurer vs the newly crowned #1st.
A priceless chance to measure both.
This wasn't just a fight.
It was history sharpening its blade.
Present Scene~~~
Kael and Myralt faced each other, weapons drawn, emotions drained.
One swung for execution.
The other fought to escape.
Kael charged first, flames spiralling up his blade.
Myralt thrust forward, spear wrapped in mana.
The collision rattled the entire district.
Guild members were blasted back, coughing as mana shockwaves ripped tiles from the ground.
Myralt sensed his mana dissolving where Kael's flames touched.
He shifted, slid past the direct clash, and slammed his spear-shaft into Kael's gut.
Kael flew into a house, the structure collapsing in a single crash.
But he didn't stay down.
He staggered out, flames igniting again.
Myralt stood above him on a rooftop, spear gleaming.
"You still have time. Come quietly. You're talented. We can fix this. Flesh wounds heal, but emotional scars don't. Sylen's death was more than a corpse. He was family."
Kael refused.
"If I didn't do it, I'm not accepting guilt. Not even if I die."
Myralt lowered his stance.
"Then I'll beat you till you can't move and drag you alive."
Kael blurred forward.
Myralt responded with
Kael's figure was pierced clean through —but dissolved into smoke.
A feint.
Heat exploded behind him.
He whipped his spear in a spinning arc, colliding with Kael mid-slash.
The force destroyed multiple houses, debris raining like broken bone fragments.
Citizens watched from afar, trembling in silence.
To them, Kael was already the murderer.
They never once even thought to look above.
Because the real monster watched from above.
Quiet.
Calm.
Smiling.
Evan watched from above, arms crossed and expression bored, as if the clash below was no more than a stage play.
With how Kael and Myralt fought, he could already guess their level with a fair degree of accuracy.
Even if they hid a few cards, he knew he could take them both at once—solo wasn't even a question.
Below him, the ground had caved into a massive crater, dust thick in the air.
Both combatants pushed mana against each other, waiting for even the smallest difference to tilt the scale.
While Kael was within his own thoughts.
'Vela, can I force out stronger flames? With this output, I can't win unless I pull off a miracle.'
Vela materialised beside him, face solemn.
"No. If you increase the output, your body will break. Even this fragment of my real body holds enough power to destroy human physiology. Even if you advance a stage, I can't guarantee survival.
Play low and survive. If you push now, I won't be able to save you again."
Kael clenched his jaw.
"Then I'll create an opening to escape."
He charged again, ignoring the pain still crawling under his burned skin.
Myralt brushed stray flames off his coat, staring at Kael in quiet disbelief.
The impact they exchanged should have crippled a normal adventurer.
'Maybe I've rusted after lying low for so long…I'll finish this quickly.'
He pulled his spear back, filling it with every drop of mana he could pressurise.
A sharp throwing stance locked into place.
With no hesitation, he hurled it.
The air cracked behind it like a sonic tear.
Kael didn't dodge.
He lifted his blade overhead and met it head-on.
The blast tore the terrain apart, consuming nearby structures and sending debris rolling like waves across a stormy sea.
Kael staggered back multiple steps, teeth gritted in agony.
"I won't die… not until I prove the truth!"
Flames erupted—twice his usual output, scorching both blade and skin.
Vela yelled, panic breaking through her composure.
"Stop! You'll burn yourself into ash!"
But Kael refused to listen.
The spear began to soften, then melt, its material warping under the hellish heat.
By the time Kael's flames subsided, the spear had snapped in half.
Burn marks crawled across Kael's torso, instantly healed and re-burned on loop by Vela's deathflame-infused regeneration.
"I just need time to get out of here…" he muttered, raising his glowing, near-molten sword.
He unleashed multiple flame slashes toward Myralt, who stood stunned by what he had just seen.
'The power isn't enough to kill him… but stalling might work…'
Or so Kael believed.
Above, Evan exhaled softly.
"Guess I'll give him a tiny nudge. Can't afford to break the plan."
He flicked his fingers.
The flame slash twisted mid-air, swelling to twice its size, heat density multiplying as if the heavens fed it fresh fuel.
Myralt's instincts screamed.
He summoned a spare spear and blocked, but the impact shoved him backwards, leaving deep footprints and vibrating joints.
'What… is this power? If Kael always had this, he could kill me. Was he holding back? Was my judgment wrong all along?'
The weight of doubt crushed Myralt's consciousness.
He dropped unconscious, eyes still half open, voice silent.
Moments later, guild members arrived and surrounded the crater.
"Guildmaster!!"
Anger erupted like wildfire.
"Find Kael! He injured the Guildmaster while escaping! He must be badly wounded! Don't hold back!"
Dozens sprinted through the ruins, bloodlust replacing reason.
A scout pointed up.
"There! He's climbing the wall!"
Kael climbed slowly, hands trembling, body barely functioning.
Long-range spells and arrows streaked toward him.
One arrow lodged into his lower back, piercing deep.
More attacks tore through the air.
His vision blurred. His limbs trembled.
Sleep begged to take him.
Vela's voice echoed desperately.
"Kael, move! If they grab you, it's over!"
Just when another wave of spells surged—
A cloaked figure appeared at the top of the wall.
No aura.
No sound.
No killing intent.
Not even the wind reacted.
Vela prepared to unleash flames, but the stranger spoke calmly:
"Hm. You don't look like you're in any state to escape alone.
Let me handle the last step."
He grabbed Kael by the wrist with one hand and lifted him up effortlessly, as if he weighed nothing.
The next moment, both vanished from sight.
The guild members reached the wall in panic, shouting orders, sweeping every alley, rooftop, and blind spot.
They found nothing.
The suspect and the mysterious helper were gone.
Forever etched into the town as accomplices of the crime.
But nobody looked in the right place.
...
To Be Continued…
Where did Evan take Kael, and what comes next?
Add to your library and return for the outcome.