Chapter 1045: Provocation
Eli’s mouth fell open slightly.
He came across as someone whom nothing could shock. The golden light in his eyes seemed like they had witnessed the end of the world and survived the crushing weight of that knowledge.
However, right now, he was staring at Northern in stunned disbelief, his eyes wide, blinking repeatedly.
"I’m sorry, Sage Rian, do you know what a Tyrant is... an Origin... Origin most especially? These are not just common terminologies."
Northern looked at him with barely suppressed annoyance.
"I am well aware of what I’m talking about."
Eli scratched his head, chuckling dryly. He turned away for a moment and spun back, as if he’d lost his sense of direction.
"Shit. We’re done for? What Origin exactly? Which Tyrant exactly?"
Northern stared at him with a slightly conflicted expression. He hesitated.
"The Origin of Chaos... as for the Tyrant... I think he relates to Blood and Madness. I’m not sure... this is merely my own speculation."
The moment Northern mentioned Chaos, Eli’s eyes widened even more, his face draining of color.
’What’s wrong with him?’
Definitely, Eli knew something.
Most people, aside from Rughsbourgh, that Northern had spoken to—even those who knew about the existence of Origins and Tyrants—hadn’t reacted this way.
Eli staggered back, covering his mouth as it fell agape.
’Yeah. He knows something.’
Northern stepped closer and smiled politely.
"Headmaster of Caelvyn Citadel, I sincerely think you should come with us."
Eli looked at him and frowned.
"What? Why?"
Northern smiled with his eyes.
"The fate of the continent is at stake, and right now, I’m the only one with means of transportation across the continent. Doesn’t it make sense that strong people come aboard and we move together to stop the damned Tyrant from destroying our continent?"
Eli paused, staring thoughtfully at Northern.
"It makes perfect sense. Your words are sensible. Have you been able to discover this Tyrant’s location? And can we even stop him?"
Northern shook his head.
"Not at all. We’re preparing to fight an Origin."
Eli’s face went blank. His gaze became unreadable as he stared at Northern, then he yawned and turned away.
"Nahia, let’s go. I’m just going to sleep. Surely these people jest."
Northern frowned.
"The matter deciding the fate of the continent—and possibly the world at large—is a jest to you?"
Eli’s gaze darkened. He whirled around ferociously and thrust his face toward Northern, striking his chest with his finger as he made his point.
"No! You! Clearly you’re joking! Fight an Origin? Are you that gullible? Have you even seen the aftermath of one’s presence? Those things... have transcended what humanity can be... a hundred—no, a thousand times over. A Zenith, which we have none of by the way, could never defeat an Origin. Maybe they’d stand a chance against it. Don’t you know what an Origin is? That too... Chaos?! Chaos is a primordial source—it’s prehistoric, existed even before the dawn of the first age. Argh! Help me, Fach, I’m getting a headache."
He massaged his temples for a moment and raised his gaze back to Northern.
"Look. Defeating an Origin is impossible. I don’t care how strong you are... we cannot defeat an Origin. You don’t understand, Sage Rian—these things don’t fight the way we fight. Your talents could turn out to merely be drawing from their core as its source. That’s how dangerous these things are. They can do anything. Rules, laws, concepts—none of these apply to them."
Northern stared at him, his expression full of silent disdain. But he said nothing.
Then he looked at the Paragon and spoke in a calm, low tone.
"I have a request."
Eli looked at Northern with doubt and confusion.
"A request? Alright, as long as it’s reasonable."
Northern breathed gently, and the wind around them responded, blowing calmly before settling to the ground.
"Fight me."
Eli frowned.
"Huh?"
Northern continued.
"If I win, you’ll shut up and come with me. If I lose..."
He grinned.
"Well, I can’t lose."
Eli’s expression darkened considerably.
Nahia gritted her teeth, clenched her sword, and stepped forward, but Eli raised a hand, stopping her mid-stride.
"Sage Rian. I don’t need to remind you that you are a Sage. A young one at that."
He spoke deliberately, spacing each word.
"You are very talented. I’ve never seen anyone with such an imposing presence as yours. Because I’m a Paragon, I can sense that you’ve discovered Will to a certain extent—which is an impossible feat. Unless one is a Paragon, doing it as a Sage is insane and reckless. That alone places you on a pedestal that makes me extremely cautious of you.
"But in the end, you are a Sage. And I am a Paragon. Don’t you understand that? I don’t take you for a pompous young man, but I think your recent achievements might have gone to your head."
Northern sighed.
"You’ve dispensed enough fatherly advice for a lifetime on what should be a simple yes or no question. Will you or will you not?"
Eli forced out a grin that refused to reach his eyes, a vein pulsing visibly at his temple.
"Ah... you are one provocative young man. I’m simply going to refuse you, alright?"
"Then you’re agreeing to come with me?"
The veins multiplied, throbbing at two different spots.
"I see... it seems it’s necessary that I teach you a lesson or two and send you on your way to your death, since you insist."
A matte obsidian rod materialized in his hand. He swung it across his side, spinning it through the air with practiced precision.
Then he faced Northern, the rod positioned behind his back, anchored by one hand.
"Don’t worry. I’ll make this quick."
Northern smiled and mirrored the gesture, the illusioned Hefter slowly materializing in his hands.
’That’s right... I haven’t checked my rewards in a while. And I’ve been fighting quite a lot. I’m pretty sure I killed several monsters as Burning Storm and Titan’s Reckoning. I should check those after getting this guy on board and extracting all the information I need from him.’
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