"Tch, just as I feared."
Ryuk licked his tongue in dissatisfaction when he heard that.
It was just as he feared, and it seemed the Ten Families weren't willing to prove him wrong.
Their armies had yet to arrive, and what they had called instead was the media.
They really did plan on just taking the back seat and recording humanity fight alone against the Knulls.
"Don't be quick to lose hope, Ryuk. They still have time to show up..."
"We can't rely anymore on that, MadWhite. If we do, the chances are we lose the human army due to damages, and trust me, this won't be the last attack of the Knulls."
"Their third one will come, and finally their fourth, their fifth, and their sixth."
"If we lose even half of the human armies, we're only delaying humanity's inevitable extinction in the coming wars."
"We go all out now."
"I've realized that too, Ryuk."
"Right now, below the portal is all humanity's got."
"We've even awakened some oldies just for this war."
"It will be hard trying to defeat the Knulls alone but also trying to limit the damages to the armies. I'm afraid it is only even more difficult."
"But like I said, there's still time."
"What about you, though, Ryuk? You're finally out of seclusion. How did your cultivation go? And do you finally have your power in control now?" MadWhite asked as Ryuk nodded.
"True, I'm out of seclusion, and nothing bad happened. I'm not fully done with everything, but I'll show up there, soon..."
"Believe me, Ten Families or not, we won't lose this war, MadWhite."
"I believe you, kid. Well then, I'll be expecting your girly face amongst the army soon. Goodbye now," MadWhite said as the call hung up.
Ryuk dropped down his Apex Watch, his eyes deep in thought.
But then, he felt a hand wrap around his, jolting him out of his thoughts.
For a second, he had forgotten Morgaine was still by his side.
"The Knull War has started?" Morgaine asked, as Ryuk sighed.
"Yes, it has."
"I didn't know that."
"I guess that'll be revealed by the media soon since they're already preparing everything."
"You see, Morgaine, the Knull Vortex will open up right in the sky of Porion City. And Porion City holds 60% of humanity's entire population."
"If the Knulls were to take over, what do you think would happen to humanity?"
"Driven half to extinction," Morgaine mumbled as Ryuk nodded.
"Thankfully, MadWhite's evacuated them. The last time we both separated, he and I left to make a deal with the Ten Family leaders for us all to come together as one to face the Knulls."
"They're an important card in humanity being able to survive this war, but you heard what MadWhite said—they're still nowhere to be found."
"They would most likely won't be showing up, meaning they've abandoned humanity to itself."
"Humanity's army is strong, but compared to the Knulls, it's like a horde of Grade B creatures facing against a horde of Grade A creatures."
"They can still do some damage, but they will do nothing but suffer major losses."
"Right now, the only one I know that is a warrior and can change the tide of the war is MadWhite himself, but against an army of Knulls, he can only do his best, which sometimes is never enough."
"That is why I have to fill that space."
"I want us to spend time together, Morgaine. In fact, I wouldn't complain at all if, until eternity, I'm stuck with you on this island. Just me and you, forever."
"But I can't do that."
"I have to fight, and if I plan on ever surviving my fights and my cold body returning to your warm embrace arms, then I have to train really hard, which means less time with you."
"You see, I just left previously and took two years to return to you, and then a week of staying only to disappear for three weeks."
"And now, I've barely been here with you for an hour, and I have to leave again—until the Knull War ends."
"I'm saying this because I really need you to understand, Morgaine."
"I do care, but times are hard now, and I don't want to have to choose between you and humanity."
"Both are in my heart, and I'd rather have them both than lose one for the other."
"You can force me to stay by your side, believe me, I won't try to run away."
"But when MadWhite's call comes in, and he tells me humanity's army has been wiped out, you won't be seeing me, Morgaine."
"All you'll see is a kid who left his race in ruins for love—and realized it."
"And if I fight for humanity and we end up leaving each other... then what will humanity's victory mean if I lost the soul most dearest to me now?"
"I would have fought and kept fighting but never truly felt a sense of victory—because I would have already lost the true battle before it even started."
Ryuk explained lengthily as Morgaine's eyes flashed.
Now she understood.
It had always never made sense to her.
Ryuk had Isha by his side, and Isha was at the Cataclysm stage, A-grade.
To her, Ryuk didn't really seem to have much on his plate. He was a free human boy, and he had come from Grade E, which wasn't exactly a people's place to be.
That was why, when he had explained he would be going on seclusion, it hadn't made much sense.
Why should he even do that?
He was strong enough to handle everything that came his way, and she knew Ryuk wasn't stupid enough to go ahead and antagonize a group at the Cataclysm stage that would prove to be a threat to him.
She had expected him to be more relaxed about life. He was only 17, in the end.
But now, she knew.
He wasn't just a kid who was free to live anyhow like she thought.
He had massive potential and that placed underneath his shoulder the burden of an entire race.
He was in between two grounds—a war with keeping her and a war with keeping his race alive.
Only now did she realize he wasn't the one going through the least in this relationship.
If anything, it was him going through so much, for he had kept all of this in his heart, and whenever he faced her, all he ever showed was his comforting smile and love.
In fact, he never would have told her this if he hadn't felt fear from her leaving.
He still would have smiled and acted like everything was okay when, in fact, he was standing on fragile grounds from which he could only leave for one.
If she had to wait for someone in the world, then wasn't he worth her patience?
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A/N:
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In and Out_SnowySmoos