Serius was standing a few meters away, his gaze still locked on the spot where Goram’s head had exploded moments before.
There was no sound of impact, no wave of mana, not even any movement from Daniel. Just... death. So fast and absolute that even his analytical mind had been unable to process it for a few seconds.
"So if his father comes..." Then Daniel’s quiet voice broke the silence.
His gaze fell briefly on the tree’s fruit; a living, calm light that was now slightly larger than before.
"He could be the tree’s next meal."
His tone held neither threat nor pride. As if he was talking about something completely obvious. It was this indifference that made Serius’s facial muscles contract for a moment.
In his entire life, he had seen many arrogant people. Warriors who thought they were invincible. Madmen drunk on their power. But this man... wasn’t even like them.
This was more like a being who truly believed that nothing in this world had the ability to threaten him.
Where had this monster come from?
He was sure that this monster, whatever it was, had nothing to do with this continent. It was impossible for such a being to remain unknown until now, with no mention of him in any book.
He had read millions of books about the history of all three continents, and in none of them was there the slightest thing about a human-like monster with golden eyes.
Could it be that this monster came from somewhere beyond this world? Exactly like the beasts of corruption?
"What about you?" Daniel fixed his gaze on him again.
A few seconds of silence stretched between them.
"Aren’t you coming forward?"
The space around grew heavy for a moment. Even the wind calmed down, as if the forest was waiting for an answer.
Serius stared at him for a few seconds, and then, contrary to expectation, let out a short, dry laugh. A real laugh, but devoid of any joy.
"Am I stupid?"
His gaze fell on Goram’s headless body, which was now slowly turning into particles of light and blood.
"He was useful for that."
For the first time since these two had arrived, a hint of interest appeared in Daniel’s eyes.
Serius stepped back. Not with fear, not with haste, his steps were slow and calculated, but it was clear he had no intention of fighting.
"For now." He paused for a moment and cast his final glance at the tree.
"But I’ll be back." Then he turned and disappeared into the forest’s shadows.
"Hey bring more meals next time" Daniel stared at that spot for a few seconds. Then he narrowed his eyes very quietly.
"He didn’t fight..." This was strange to him.
Almost all the enemies he had seen so far were either arrogant or consumed by anger and emotions. Even those previous five, despite their power and discipline, had eventually entered the fight.
But Serius had thought first, and then decided to stay alive.
"Smart people... are more troublesome." A faint smile settled on Daniel’s lips.
He had no concern for fools who relied on their muscles instead of their brains. On the contrary, he didn’t see them as the slightest threat.
Because he was sure that when it came to pure power, no being in this world should be able to match him, but when it came to intelligence and scheming?
Such people were always troublesome. Perhaps it would have been better to kill that bastard before he left here, but for now, he let him go.
Because his feeling told him that man would soon bring more meals for the tree.
His gaze returned to the fruit.
It had grown. More clearly than before. Its light had deepened, and golden veins flowed across its surface, but it was still not complete. Something was still missing.
Daniel stared at it in silence for a few moments, then quietly muttered:
"It’s slow."
He had been happy that this tree’s growth sped up for a while after devouring life force, but this process was still slow.
In fact, much slower than he had thought.
If he was going to wait for people to arrive here one by one from across the continent, completing the fruit might take years.
His eyes closed slightly.
"Is there a way to speed it up?" He thought to himself.
At that same moment, hundreds of kilometers away, the capital of the Holy Empire was still awake.
The massive white walls of the city shone like marble under the moonlight, and the tall towers of the temples cast heavy shadows over the empty streets.
The Holy Knights kept guard in silence, and the golden banners of the empire moved gently in the night breeze.
The inner palace gates opened for Serius without even a single question.
Servants moved aside at the sight of him. Knights bowed their heads. Not from fear, but from respect.
The name of this man’s family was not unknown on the continent.
A family that had been present in the corruption wars for generations, each generation producing monsters who could change the course of war.
And Serius was the current genius of that family.
A few minutes later, deep within the Holy Palace, in a heavy, closed room, four people sat around a massive table.
On the table was spread a complete map of the continent. Dozens of red marks could be seen on it: fallen cities, contaminated areas, and borders that retreated further each year.
The Holy Emperor sat at the head of the table. His gaze was cold and arrogant.
To his right was the Grand Minister, and beside him, the Grand Knight, in silver armor, with a stature like a mountain.
When Serius entered, no one addressed him as a subordinate.
They already knew that this boy had come with Goram to kill that monster defending the cursed tree.
They had even declared at that time that they were willing to place hundreds of Holy Knights at their disposal to help them.
But Goram had rejected this out of pride. In his view, a true warrior never asks for help.
He didn’t want the world to think he had only been able to defeat that monster because he had help from the Holy Knights. That could have been worse than death for him.
But maybe now, if he were still alive, he would have a different opinion.
"Result?" The Emperor said directly.
"Goram is dead." Serius answered without preamble.
A heavy silence filled the room. The Emperor’s frown deepened.
"...His father will go mad."
The name of one of the top ten Eternal Warriors was not something even the Emperor could ignore, especially when talking about that man.
Someone known among all the Eternal Warriors as the most savage, practically an apex predator created only for hunting and fighting.
"That’s not the main issue." But Serius continued immediately.
All eyes fell on him.
"That monster’s power is more important."
The space grew heavier. It was true that they still had no complete picture of that monster’s power and could not gauge its depth.
And for them, that was a strategic and informational failure.
"You fear... that even an Eternal Warrior might not be able to defeat him?" The Grand Minister asked quietly.
For a few seconds, Serius gave no answer, and this silence was heavier than any response.
The Grand Knight frowned and brought his hand down on the table.
"Impossible." His voice was firm and powerful.
"No one can stand against an Eternal Warrior."
"Right?" Then he looked directly at Serius.
"...I don’t know." Serius breathed slowly. For the first time, even he was not sure of something.
That monster... was beyond anything common sense could comprehend, and this was the result of all his data and analysis from their brief encounter.
For the first time, even the Emperor did not take his gaze off him.
"But my reason tells me it’s possible."
The room fell into silence.
The Grand Knight said nothing, but the clenching of his jaw muscles showed he didn’t accept this.
Serius looked at the map, at a small point in the middle of the forest, the center of all this chaos.
"We still don’t know the depth of his power." His finger moved slowly over the map.
"And that... makes planning difficult."
"So what do you suggest?" The Grand Minister said quietly.
A faint smile settled on Serius’s lips. A cold, calculating smile.
"Spread the news of Goram’s death."
The Grand Knight frowned.
"That will cause more people to go after him." But Serius continued.
He paused briefly.
"And even an Eternal Warrior."
"You want to use them as tests." The Grand Minister quietly understood what he meant.
"If they succeed, great." Serius didn’t take his eyes off the map.
"And if they fail, at least we will understand just how deep that monster’s power really is."
The Holy Emperor said nothing for a long while, just stared at the point on the map representing the forest.
A place that was now no longer just a contaminated zone.
But the center of a storm that was slowly pulling the entire continent toward itself.