The Half-Fallen one’s voice rang out through the entire room, as the place quieted down, but not for very long.
"I understand..." Ryuk said, releasing a nod to the Half-Fallen one.
The Half-Fallen one’s fear wasn’t unfounded. Truly, he was the only human among the Fallen geniuses and, just as she had said, also the one with the weakest loyalty to the Fallen family.
Actually, as for Ryuk, he didn’t really care much about the Fallen family at all.
And truly, with such weak loyalty, he could become a target for the other ten family geniuses, who might try using him to gain access to information on the Fallen family.
Her fears were truly well-founded, and Ryuk had no problem stating he understood that because he knew well—not only did he not give much of a damn about the Fallen family, but he also didn’t give a damn about their abilities or machinations.
His goal for going to the school was already clear to him, and anyone who dared step in his way would be eliminated swiftly.
This was a race with life hanging in the balance; he didn’t have much time for pointless camaraderie between the ten families, nor did he wish to ever get involved in them.
"That’s very good, and really all you need to take important note of. Well then, who wants a sweet delicacy?" The Half-Fallen one said excitedly as she rose to her feet and walked away from the living room.
"This way, Ryuk," she called out as Ryuk watched Morgaine finally rise to her feet, her chest heaving up and down like one sitting who just had a marathon.
She seemed one step close to bruting out in anger, and Ryuk couldn’t help but quicken his steps.
---
The Eclipsed Citadel was home to many high-rising and gigantic castle-like buildings, but still, the tallest of them was none other than the castle of the Half-Fallen, towering with twice the height of every other castle.
The air at the top of this building was incredibly violent, and on it, a figure could barely be seen, his hair and clothing flapping wildly in the strong wind.
The figure was none other than Ryuk, whose calm gaze stared down from above the high balustrade structure, overlooking the entire twilight-filled city.
He knew very well this might perhaps be his last time in the city, and so he had decided to take the night here to give it one final look before the day arrived.
It also served as a way for him to get his thoughts in control and plan deeply about his next steps.
"I’ve grown faster. Insanely faster. A month ago, I was basically without a single droplet of mana at all and knew absolutely nothing about cultivation.
"Yet look at me now. I’ve moved through an entire plane of cultivation in a single month and managed to reach the core of the second level of cultivation stages, catching up to the geniuses of the Fallen family, one of the most powerful geniuses of Endearth..."
"I have grown really fast..." he mused to himself, a small smile appearing at the side of his lips but soon clearing away just as fast as it had come, as his teeth clenched together.
’No.’
’I’m not strong enough yet.’
’Uncle Bob, there seems to be a lot surrounding you and your death that I don’t seem to know. But the least I could do now is killing the one who finally took away your last breath of life.’
’I’ll fulfil my promise to you, Uncle Bob.’
’I’ll chase that Knull to the end of the stars and rip off its head.’
’Right now, I’m at the Core stage of the Plane of Ascension. That Knull is an A-grade Mutated Beast, meaning it’s around the Plane of Cataclysm!’
’I’m not strong enough at all. Not even close...’
’And that’s why I’ll be heading to the Ascension Academy, to cover these steps of cultivation as fast as I possibly can and bring an end to the Knull.’
’Then, only then, will I be able to at least take a sigh of relief...’ Ryuk thought coldly, as bones cracked from his fist being clenched tightly.
Ryuk might look chill.
He might look lovable and cute.
But if one knew the anger that burned within him, the helplessness of losing his only family member to a Knull, the blame on himself from learning he might have had something to do with his own uncle’s death...
The anger he felt toward knowing his own family members took away everything he had, save for his heart and brain.
The injustice he felt learning that they would be coming to take away all the remaining things he had left and bringing an end to his existence, just like they did to his Uncle Bob.
If only one knew what lay beneath Ryuk’s cute figure, pressed down on his heart.
The thing they would see would not be a cute-looking 16-year-old boy, but a towering monster, the incarnation of Apex will for revenge and annihilation.
"Huuuuu..."
A loud exhale rang through the entire top of the castle as Ryuk exhaled loudly, his pumping heart slowing down to its initial tempo, as his clenched fist straightened back.
"Still, it’s a beautiful night, is it not?" The question left Ryuk’s tender lips as his aura returned to normal, and suddenly the reply came.
"Yes. A beautiful night it truly is..."
The voice came from beside Ryuk, their hands resting on the iron railing, staring down below.
It was none other than the Half-Fallen one, and once more, she had appeared without Ryuk being able to sense anything until she was just a few centimeters away from him.
’If she can easily appear and reappear so quickly without being sensed, how hard would it be for her to pierce a blade through my heart?
’I can bet on my life, I wouldn’t even know when it happened and would most likely be dead before I could react at all.’
’This woman beside me... She’s really a horror, and my body seems to know that.’