Only the Revered had a sure-fire way of measuring a person's potential, otherwise the general method is to see how much mana someone draws into their body naturally.
The problem was glaring; The Heretics lacked anyone with this expertise, as only the Revered possessed it.
The complications were blunt and troublesome. He couldn't take every word the Twelfth Pillar said as truth, after all, he could truly be a traitor.
If they knew Agnus's potential, that only indicated they colluded with someone of the Revered. Something that would mean undeniable proof.
Ryan found himself embracing the treacherous path that extended in front of him, filled with the voices of deceit and bloodshed. If he chose to go down this path, life could cease for him at any moment. The thought weighed on his mind like a boulder, yet he calmly exhaled.
If what the Twelfth Pillar said was true, that means that they took the one person who mattered most to Ryan.
What kind of man would he be if he didn't try to avenge him? He knew the First Pillar would not rest if Ryan was killed, and he'd scour every end of the universe to kill the perpetrators.
Their connection was surreal and rarely ever wavered. Yet, it was severed by the chilling reality he faced nearly every day: death. It was inevitable.
Behind him, Jason held the same thoughts, albeit on a much lesser scale.
He also remembered the same sentence that was stuck in Ryan's mind.
He already chosen to go down this path.
Lorus was his brother, even if not by blood.
Every ounce of pain was shared between the two, every laugh, and every tear shed.
In another reality, they'd be brothers from birth, Jason liked to think.
He not only lost Lorus on that day, but he lost countless comrades and friends, not to mention the sheer number of soldiers that perished.
Jason bled for the cult. He breathed for the cult. He lived for the cult. Every slash would carry the soul of Lorus, as if he were a silent angel watching over.
Every kill would be a grim reminder to the Revered that the Heretics return everything tenfold.
Knowing the path beyond you and walking it were two completely different things.
Some lingered behind, self-doubt judging their decisions. 'Am I not strong enough?' They would think.
Yet, Jason walked deadly paths since he was a child. He killed opponents that were a tier above him. He killed beasts that could trample him with a singular step.
He slaughtered enemies that outnumbered him by hundreds.
The thought of being weak never crossed his mind; only a simple question remained. 'Do I want it enough?'
Did he want to kill the ones who betrayed not only the Heretics, but Lorus? Definitely.
Did he want to kill the Paragon, an existence of near-unparalleled power that resembled the apex of mortal power?
Yes.
Every time his mind recalled the glowing shimmers of emerald, a burning desire bellowed in his chest.
He wanted it.
He wanted to kill them all.
Jason's vision focused on Agnus, who stood there unmoving.
'He is the catalyst.
He is the one who will draw the cats lurking in the shadows.
And I'm is the predator awaiting them.'
"You know what his awakening means, though, right?" Jason asked, not to remind, but to see if Ryan accepted the path before him. If his eyes were weak, his tone unsteady, his posture unusual, he'd get the answer he needed.
Ryan matched his gaze with loose shoulders, as if his decision was solidified the moment he met Agnus.
Jason smiled nearly from ear to ear.
Not out of joy.
But out of the mere thought of killing those responsible.
And not alone.
With someone who carried the same hatred within himself.
"We kill the rats. We purify the Heretics."
Their path was set.
"Can I join too?" Agnus asked.
The two were drawn out of their inner monologues, as they redirected their eyes to the bleak Agnus who stood calmly.
"Of course."
—
[Planet Marba, 5/08/2231]
Agnus stepped forward, and Emperor Jason followed closely behind with his mana sense overlaying a 10km stretch around them.
Streets bustled with vigor as thousands of people strolled the streets of the most populated city of the Heretic rule. Children and adults roamed alike, their eyes gleaming with excitement as the fascinations of the city were endless.
Most lived life happily. Going to work. Coming home to their loved ones.
Ryan, Jason, and Agnus didn't have that.
Each day was spent maneuvering around dangerous landscapes festered with beasts that wanted nothing more than to taste human flesh.
Each monster Agnus slayed, every time blue blood leaked from his wounds, and every time Jason had to step in to save him, was them walking a disastrous path. Some days showed little to no progress, but Jason walked the path all alone once before. He wasn't idiotic to let his hopes dwindle if Agnus wasn't showing immense combat prowess every day; As long as he grew, that was all that mattered.
The parts that were small still counted; The big ones even more.
Each time they went out, they were fighting not only for their future.
Not only their vengeance.
But also for the Heretics.
Agnus couldn't feel infuration.
Not Anger.
Not disappointment.
Not pride.
Not Ego.
He was the perfect sparring partner and student to train.
Infuriation never bloomed when he couldn't see his progress.
Anger never flares if he loses.
Disappointment never settled in when he couldn't execute a technique.
Pride never let him relax.
Ego never let him ignore learning a technique if it was too weak for him.
Every decision from Agnus is made with logic. Never emotion.
Ryan, on the other hand, worked on the inner affairs.
Ever since Kupali, the Heretic Cult became less of a home where everyone was safe, and one where the Pillars vie for power. Political authority wasn't a bestowment for them anymore; It was a ground to dominate.
To arise.
Days were endless, stretching hours past his designated work time, but Ryan never relaxed.
He tracked every move of the Pillars, the Third, Second, and Tenth in particular.
Brutally intelligent moves kept them in check, and their mind wasn't drawn to the fact that he knew about their secret, but rather he joined the fight for power. Every operation greenlighted by them couldn't remain hidden under his watchful gaze.
He knew everything.
One wrong misstep? He could be assassinated.
One wrong misstep from Agnus? He would be saved by Jason.
One wrong misstep from Jason? The odds of a misstep even being possible were as rare as him stumbling on his own foot.
The way he chose to fight, not with physical strength, but with his mind, was a deadly affair, more dangerous than what Agnus was going through.
Their catalyst had something to fall back on.
Ryan didn't.
Agnus was purposefully kept in the Awakened tier, just at the peak of it. His speed and strength matched that of a Mid-tiered Ascended warrior, which was rarely ever noted in the history books.
Out of his 9531 spars with Jason in the last year, he only won three times.
Every win came at the cost of him losing his own life soon after, if it was a real battle.
Agnus realized battles weren't purely won with physicality; But precise technique.
Jason limited himself to a low-tiered Ascendant for 90% of their spars, the last 10% being a High-Tiered Ascended. That's when the difference between the two became terrifyingly clear, as even with more strength, a body able to execute bizarre moves that nearly no one else in the universe could, Agnus still couldn't win.
Jason didn't just fight 9531 spars.
He fought nearly ten times in his last decade of life.
The lives he claimed? Too much to remember.
Every war, he slaughtered his enemies like a pig, each slash unleashing a skill that annihilated hundreds.
Jason and Agnus stepped into a hotel, the inside populated but peaceful.
Bartenders hastily strode around, offering drinks to idle civilians who chatted with each other. Agnus and Jason declined their offer before walking to the front counter.
The lady at the bar had her auburn hair slicked back into a ponytail, her blue eyes dancing around Jason's body nervously. "How may I help you?" She courteously asked him, her eyes planted on him as if he were a cherished heirloom.
"A room for two, please." He stated kindly, a smile curving his lips.
She shyly smiled back while typing on her keyboard, "Names, please?"
This was the part that would start their new lives.
Agnus, the bait that would pull the hidden forces from their shadows.
Jason, the walking natural disaster.
Ryan, the mastermind, fought against their enemies' small actions to gain more political power.