"The 6th Knull Calamity?" Ryuk muttered in surprise, caught off guard by Evander’s words.
He did not think the sixth Knull Calamity would already be on his tail at all.
And that only made him even more confused.
Why was this man before him?
Could he have been sent by the 6th Knull Calamity to kill him?
"Seems like you know who she is now, Son of Theth’Vorgath," Evander said, but it only made Ryuk even quieter.
’The 6th Knull Calamity is a she?’
"Let me guess. She sent you to come and kill me and harvest my body parts, huh?" Ryuk asked with a mocking grin, his hands folding together as he looked at the young man, who only chuckled at his words, shaking his head in disagreement as he did so.
"Oh, please. I assure you, unlike the rest of the Knulls, my Queen is more civil and above such things as brutish and barbaric fighting..." he said with a smile.
And without wasting any more words, he reached out with his slender fingers, as the space above his hands glowed with an ash-blue light.
Soon enough—
An object appeared: an ash-blue colored envelope, seemingly as thick as card, and covered in various dark inscriptions.
"This is an invitation letter from the Marrionette Queen to the Son of Theth’Vorgath, for the celebration of her 9th year of being crowned as a Major Queen of the Throne of Threads."
He said this as the ash-blue letter slowly floated toward Ryuk, pausing when it reached a meter before him.
Ryuk’s vision paused on the letter, filled with confusion.
All he had was a simple question—
Why would the Marionette Queen invite him to her?
"She hoped this would ease you in the search for her, and she makes a promise to take good care of you on your arrival..." he said, with the same polite smile—a stark contrast to the words that came from those lips.
Ryuk’s hands still reached for the letter, as the system panel flashed before him, having done a quick scan.
He opened it up to see a map imprinted on its surface, along with a special ash-blue coloured invitation card.
"If she wants to speed up her death, then fine. I’ll be her guest..." Ryuk said, keeping the letter in his shop.
"Very well then. I am but a messenger, and now I have successfully carried my message to you."
"If you have no questions for me, then I hope to be able to take my leave..." Evander said.
His unsettling smile remained on his lips, and a series of questions flashed in Ryuk’s mind.
Should he attack him?
Kill him?
It was a surprisingly difficult choice to make when the young man never once showed the slightest aggression toward him.
It somehow hit Ryuk with an unexplainable paralysis of action.
’He asked me to ask a question?’
’What should I even ask him?’
He thought to himself.
But in the end, he decided.
"Will you attend the ceremony of the card you just gave to me?" he asked—a bizarre question—as he watched Evander’s smile falter for a second.
But he replied nonetheless.
"Rest assured, if you’re to make an appearance, then I will be on the left side of my Queen," he said, continuing a moment later.
"If that is all, then I will now take my leave..." Evander said, giving a courteous bow before he turned his back and then slowly began to disappear into the distance.
For a second, after he turned his back, Ryuk raised his right hand, stretching his claw towards him—but then, it simply hung in the air, silently, until Evander completely disappeared, and he eventually dropped his hand back to his side.
[You let him go!?]The system asked in disbelief, unable to comprehend his action.
"Deactivate all active skills..." he ordered as his transformation reverted, and the sight around him returned to the pitch-black void.
Once more, the envelope holding the invitation card reappeared in his hands, and he brought out the paper, looking closely at the map.
[It’s the exact location of the direction of the Evil Conqueror’s race location, right from the direction of the Planetary Port], the system analyzed.
’So... she really sent me her precise location?’
’But why?’
[For the 6th Calamity to reach you this fast, she must already be aware of the death of Zar’kul.]
[And if they were aware of the death of Zar’kul, then she must be aware of your recent rise, shown by taking back your body parts.] The system analyzed, resulting in Ryuk’s brows furrowing.
[Yet she sent you an invitation card to her palace.]
[It’s safe to say, she most likely didn’t take you as a serious opponent capable of bringing her demise.]
[She’s treating this like a game.]
[And sending you an invitation card? It’s her setting the venue of the game—and most likely the rules too, since you now have no choice but to head to her location.]
"A game, huh?" Ryuk mused under his breath, chuckling a bit to himself.
"I wonder why my opponents never take me seriously..." he muttered silently with a grin.
He could still remember—all of the powerful opponents he had faced never once took him seriously.
High Scholar Emris had sent his clone to him, thinking it was enough to keep him at bay.
And even when Ryuk met him, he was busy cooking up chemicals in his labs, showing an utter lack of seriousness.
When he faced Zar’kul, the old bones still thought he was the same little kid from the dreams, still referring to him as the Little dark one.’
And a recent example was when he had faced that Seraphim Initiate, Radiant Blythe, who thought of him as just an object of interest... until he showed her he could rip her life apart with ease.
None of his opponents ever took him seriously.
[Yes, they all don’t,] the system replied.
[Until right at the moment when they see their life flashing before their eyes.]
[A pity they never even get the chance to regret before their lives are ripped away.]
"Seems like the Marionette Queen will be no exception..."
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A/N:
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In and Out_SnowySmoos