Francis held his gaze steady, but the uncertainty behind it was visible to anyone paying attention.
He had met Adam before, back at Sector 418. He remembered that meeting clearly. That Adam had been talented, no question, but Francis had been comfortable standing in front of him. As a Heavenly Lord, Adam simply hadn't registered as a threat worth taking seriously. The gap between them had felt manageable.
What was standing in front of him now was something else entirely.
The power this Adam had just displayed wasn't Heavenly Lord territory. It wasn't even close. The way the domain had wiped the entire field clean in seconds, the supreme spirit, the sheer output of death affinity all of it pointed to something that would give even a Supreme Lord pause. The difference between then and now was so extreme it was genuinely disorienting.
So Francis needed to hear it confirmed.
